Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Has $1.44 Million Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lessened its stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 83.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,798 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 161,407 shares during the quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned 0.09% of Benchmark Electronics worth $1,444,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Boston Partners raised its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 569.5% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 416,831 shares of the technology company's stock worth $17,638,000 after acquiring an additional 354,567 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Benchmark Electronics by 45.2% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 815,499 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $37,024,000 after purchasing an additional 253,730 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in Benchmark Electronics by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,153,257 shares of the technology company's stock worth $52,358,000 after purchasing an additional 166,967 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth $5,302,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth about $4,145,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BHE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Lake Street Capital cut their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $52.00 to $46.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com downgraded Benchmark Electronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,398,347.60. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock traded up $1.28 on Friday, reaching $34.95. 363,901 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 331,265. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.73 and a twelve month high of $52.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $37.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.92.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.02. Benchmark Electronics had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 6.68%. The business had revenue of $631.76 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $640.00 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Benchmark Electronics Profile

Benchmark Electronics, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, offers product design, engineering services, technology solutions, and manufacturing services in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The company provides engineering services and technology solutions, including new product design, prototype, testing, and related engineering services; and custom testing and technology solutions, as well as automation equipment design and build services.