Kennedy Capital Management LLC Has $5.35 Million Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 117,901 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 7,355 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.33% of Benchmark Electronics worth $5,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth about $868,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 27.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 120,126 shares of the technology company's stock worth $5,324,000 after buying an additional 25,769 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 841,602 shares of the technology company's stock worth $37,307,000 after purchasing an additional 21,355 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 128.8% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,024 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,814,000 after purchasing an additional 48,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 3.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 184,332 shares of the technology company's stock worth $8,170,000 after purchasing an additional 6,561 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Benchmark Electronics

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised 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 target on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $35.91. 148,825 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 329,976. 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 1 year low of $29.52 and a 1 year high of $52.57. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $38.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 0.83.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's payout ratio is 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.