JPMorgan Chase & Co. Buys 253,730 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 45.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 815,499 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 253,730 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 2.27% of Benchmark Electronics worth $37,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Benchmark Electronics by 0.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,897,568 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $84,081,000 after buying an additional 11,738 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,153,257 shares of the technology company's stock worth $52,358,000 after acquiring an additional 166,967 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Benchmark Electronics by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 841,602 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $37,307,000 after acquiring an additional 21,355 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 34.5% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 428,181 shares of the technology company's stock worth $18,977,000 after acquiring an additional 109,903 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners grew its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 569.5% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 416,831 shares of the technology company's stock worth $17,638,000 after purchasing an additional 354,567 shares during the period. 92.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 in the company, 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 available at this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE BHE traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.23. The stock had a trading volume of 246,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 331,334. The business's 50 day moving average is $39.11 and its 200-day moving average is $43.73. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.08 and a 52 week high of $52.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $1.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36 and a beta of 0.83.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports 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 lifted their price objective on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two research 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, Benchmark Electronics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.00.

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.