Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 788,529 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 44,870 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned about 2.19% of Benchmark Electronics worth $35,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BHE. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $868,000. Olympiad Research LP purchased a new position in Benchmark Electronics during the 4th quarter worth $340,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 190,444 shares of the technology company's stock worth $8,646,000 after buying an additional 6,112 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 193,183 shares of the technology company's stock worth $8,771,000 after buying an additional 19,289 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE BHE traded down $0.18 on Thursday, hitting $40.93. The stock had a trading volume of 228,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 287,782. The business's fifty day moving average price is $42.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $44.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.71 and a beta of 0.97. 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 52-week low of $27.44 and a 52-week high of $52.57.

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Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total value of $232,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at $17,398,347.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BHE has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.