Barclays PLC Acquires 48,425 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 128.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 86,024 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 48,425 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned 0.24% of Benchmark Electronics worth $3,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 0.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,012,717 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $118,881,000 after purchasing an additional 12,112 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 8.9% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,944,347 shares of the technology company's stock worth $86,173,000 after acquiring an additional 159,659 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 19.5% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 820,493 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $36,364,000 after acquiring an additional 133,602 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 176.6% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 615,036 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $24,269,000 after acquiring an additional 392,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 481,062 shares of the technology company's stock worth $18,983,000 after purchasing an additional 12,789 shares during the period. 92.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BHE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Benchmark Electronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on Benchmark Electronics from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $42.33.

Insider Transactions at Benchmark Electronics

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

Benchmark Electronics Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE BHE traded up $1.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $46.34. The company had a trading volume of 306,239 shares, compared to its average volume of 305,480. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.67 billion, a PE ratio of 26.94 and a beta of 0.99. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $25.35 and a twelve month high of $52.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.36. The stock's 50 day moving average is $47.04 and its 200-day moving average is $43.52.

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

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

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 given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is 39.53%.

About Benchmark Electronics

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.