Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Has $36.94 Million Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 833,399 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 40,096 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $36,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 65.7% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 686 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Benchmark Electronics during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 81.9% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,106 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 172.5% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,379 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the 2nd quarter worth $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on BHE shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on Benchmark Electronics from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.33.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

NYSE BHE opened at $49.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 28.77 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.36. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $24.93 and a 52-week high of $52.57. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.99.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $658.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.00 million. Benchmark Electronics had a net margin of 2.32% and a return on equity of 6.81%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.57 EPS. Benchmark Electronics’s quarterly revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Benchmark Electronics Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 30th were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 30th. This is a boost from Benchmark Electronics’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.53%.

Insider Transactions at Benchmark Electronics

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 24,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.90, for a total value of $1,101,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 424,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,469,540.70. The trade was a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rhonda R. Turner sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.98, for a total value of $281,880.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 47,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,254,617.18. This represents a 11.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.