Royce & Associates LP Has $1.65 Million Stock Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Royce & Associates LP lowered its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 65.4% 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 36,368 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 68,692 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned about 0.10% of Benchmark Electronics worth $1,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in BHE. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 8.9% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,944,347 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $86,173,000 after buying an additional 159,659 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 0.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,897,568 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $84,081,000 after acquiring an additional 11,738 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 2.6% in 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. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 820,493 shares of the technology company's stock worth $36,364,000 after purchasing an additional 133,602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 34.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 428,181 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $18,977,000 after purchasing an additional 109,903 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $40.60. The company had a trading volume of 318,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 296,123. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $42.08 and a 200 day moving average of $44.42. 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 firm has a market cap of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47 and a beta of 0.97. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a one year low of $28.64 and a one year high of $52.57.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Benchmark Electronics 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 transaction of $232,920.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com upgraded Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.