Empowered Funds LLC Has $8.77 Million Stock Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 193,183 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,289 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.54% of Benchmark Electronics worth $8,771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 125.3% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,534 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 54.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,706 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 161.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,255 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 1,392 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the 3rd quarter worth $234,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the 3rd quarter valued at $238,000. 92.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Benchmark Electronics Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE BHE opened at $41.61 on Monday. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $27.44 and a twelve month high of $52.57. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.05 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $46.19 and its 200-day moving average is $44.78.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last posted its earnings results 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Benchmark Electronics

In other news, SVP Rhonda R. Turner sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.98, for a total transaction of $281,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,254,617.18. This represents a 11.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.