Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) Shares Acquired by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,153,257 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 166,967 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 3.20% of Benchmark Electronics worth $52,358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BHE. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth $242,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 60,695 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,756,000 after acquiring an additional 5,514 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 569.5% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 416,831 shares of the technology company's stock worth $17,638,000 after acquiring an additional 354,567 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 28,108 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,276,000 after acquiring an additional 875 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 71,000 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.29% of the company's stock.

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Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $38.85. The company had a trading volume of 355,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 325,345. 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 $28.64 and a 12-month high of $52.57. The company has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.45 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $41.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.42.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 6.68%.

Benchmark Electronics Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's payout ratio is 39.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.31, for a total transaction of $271,860.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 418,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,947,418.63. The trade was a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.00.

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.