Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Has $4.96 Million Stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 109,256 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 5,111 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.30% of Benchmark Electronics worth $4,960,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BHE. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Benchmark Electronics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $50,000. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the third quarter worth $238,000. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new stake in Benchmark Electronics in the 4th quarter valued at $242,000. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.31, for a total transaction of $271,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 418,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,947,418.63. This represents a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Benchmark Electronics Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Benchmark Electronics stock opened at $37.91 on Wednesday. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $28.64 and a 12-month high of $52.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.91 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 2.38%.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s payout ratio is presently 39.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Benchmark Electronics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Company 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.