Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Increases Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC raised its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 31.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,599 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 23,374 shares during the quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC owned 0.27% of Benchmark Electronics worth $4,476,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.8% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,535 shares of the technology company's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company's stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,162 shares of the technology company's stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BHE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total value of $232,920.00. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

NYSE BHE traded down $0.12 on Tuesday, hitting $37.91. 322,874 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 325,704. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.64 and a 1-year high of $52.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.37 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91 and a beta of 0.97. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $41.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.37.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

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.