Olympiad Research LP Purchases Shares of 7,488 Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Olympiad Research LP purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,488 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $340,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 190,444 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,646,000 after purchasing an additional 6,112 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 193,183 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,771,000 after buying an additional 19,289 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 40.1% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 37,972 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,724,000 after buying an additional 10,870 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 41,736 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,895,000 after buying an additional 4,665 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 418,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,947,418.63. The trade was a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BHE. StockNews.com raised shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

NYSE:BHE opened at $41.10 on Friday. 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 has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.76 and a beta of 0.99. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.44 and a fifty-two week high of $52.57. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $44.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.73.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.01). Benchmark Electronics had a net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 6.68%.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.31%.

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.