Invesco Ltd. Sells 54,641 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Invesco Ltd. lowered its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,250,326 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 54,641 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd.’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $56,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,909,918 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $86,710,000 after purchasing an additional 12,350 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,153,257 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $52,358,000 after acquiring an additional 166,967 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 2.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 841,602 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $37,307,000 after acquiring an additional 21,355 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 815,499 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $37,024,000 after purchasing an additional 253,730 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 436,181 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $19,803,000 after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

Shares of BHE stock opened at $35.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of 20.59 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.46. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.08 and a 12 month high of $52.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $38.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $43.66.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share (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 Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.91%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at Benchmark Electronics

In other Benchmark Electronics news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,398,347.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.