Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) Shares Purchased by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 176.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 615,036 shares of the technology company's stock after buying an additional 392,699 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 1.71% of Benchmark Electronics worth $24,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 892,102 shares of the technology company's stock worth $24,658,000 after acquiring an additional 30,941 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,996,161 shares of the technology company's stock worth $82,815,000 after acquiring an additional 21,170 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth $7,012,000. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth $380,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,351,157 shares of the technology company's stock worth $64,986,000 after acquiring an additional 42,570 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Benchmark Electronics Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE BHE traded up $0.97 during trading on Thursday, reaching $44.53. The stock had a trading volume of 286,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 320,093. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.66 and a fifty-two week high of $48.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 2.35. The business's 50-day moving average price is $41.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.79. The company has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.33 and a beta of 0.98.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 30th. The technology company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.06. Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 7.17% and a net margin of 2.45%. The business had revenue of $666.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $635.75 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 9.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Benchmark Electronics Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Monday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. This is a positive change from Benchmark Electronics's previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 30th. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey Stephen Mccreary sold 7,073 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.70, for a total transaction of $302,017.10. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 42,027 shares in the company, valued at $1,794,552.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BHE shares. StockNews.com cut Benchmark Electronics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Lake Street Capital lifted their price objective on Benchmark Electronics from $35.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Benchmark Electronics currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $41.33.

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.