Insider Selling: Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) CEO Sells 6,000 Shares of Stock

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at $17,398,347.60. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Jeff Benck also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, January 13th, Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.31, for a total transaction of $271,860.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Shares of BHE opened at $38.19 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a PE ratio of 22.07 and a beta of 0.97. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a one year low of $27.44 and a one year high of $52.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $42.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.45.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 EPS 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.78%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is 39.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BHE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.00.

Institutional Trading of Benchmark Electronics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Benchmark Electronics by 19.6% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 93,304 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $4,236,000 after purchasing an additional 15,264 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 65.1% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 124,656 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $5,659,000 after acquiring an additional 49,157 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the 4th quarter valued at about $263,000. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 213.4% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,563 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $162,000 after acquiring an additional 2,426 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 44.4% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 10,763 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,309 shares in the last quarter. 92.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Benchmark Electronics

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.