Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) Shares Sold by Jane Street Group LLC

Jane Street Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 83.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,383 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 89,673 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $770,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in Benchmark Electronics by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 193,205 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,555,000 after purchasing an additional 17,697 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 34.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 428,181 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $18,977,000 after purchasing an additional 109,903 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 19.5% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 820,493 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $36,364,000 after buying an additional 133,602 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.8% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,535 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $290,000 after buying an additional 242 shares during the period. Finally, Martingale Asset Management L P grew its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 29.9% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 72,691 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $3,222,000 after buying an additional 16,718 shares during the last quarter. 92.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHE has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on Benchmark Electronics from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.90, for a total transaction of $1,101,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 424,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,469,540.70. The trade was a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rhonda R. Turner sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Benchmark Electronics Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of Benchmark Electronics stock opened at $45.32 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.35 and a beta of 0.99. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $25.35 and a 52-week high of $52.57. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.78.

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

Benchmark Electronics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.53%.

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.