Wellington Management Group LLP Buys 8,000 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 436,181 shares of the technology company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,000 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 1.21% of Benchmark Electronics worth $19,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in BHE. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 569.5% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 416,831 shares of the technology company's stock worth $17,638,000 after buying an additional 354,567 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in Benchmark Electronics by 45.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 815,499 shares of the technology company's stock worth $37,024,000 after acquiring an additional 253,730 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 16.9% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,153,257 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $52,358,000 after buying an additional 166,967 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $5,302,000. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at $4,145,000. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BHE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Benchmark Electronics from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC upped their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Two equities 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

BHE stock traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.23. 246,887 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 331,334. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.08 and a twelve month high of $52.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.36 and a beta of 0.83. 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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.73.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. Benchmark Electronics's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.31%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,398,347.60. The trade was 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 the SEC website. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.