First Eagle Investment Management LLC Sells 51,400 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

First Eagle Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 239,279 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 51,400 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned 0.66% of Benchmark Electronics worth $10,863,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 71,000 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at $341,000. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 203.5% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 18,425 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 12,355 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,709,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,145,000. 92.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report 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 presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:BHE traded up $1.12 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $41.12. 324,899 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 287,560. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $42.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.43. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a PE ratio of 23.77 and a beta of 0.97. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.44 and a 12 month high of $52.57.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 2.38%.

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 given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's payout ratio is presently 39.31%.

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.