Optimize Financial Inc Takes $1.92 Million Position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Optimize Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 42,198 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,916,000. Benchmark Electronics makes up about 1.4% of Optimize Financial Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Optimize Financial Inc owned 0.12% of Benchmark Electronics as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the 4th quarter valued at $50,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,100 shares of the technology company's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments bought a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter worth about $242,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHE has been the subject of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 available at the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Benchmark Electronics Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of Benchmark Electronics stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Thursday, hitting $35.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 321,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 330,602. The stock has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.69 and a beta of 0.83. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.52 and a 52 week high of $52.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $38.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.55. 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 (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 2.38% and a return on equity of 6.68%.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.31%.

Benchmark Electronics Company 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.