Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) Shares Sold by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 12.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,772 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 244 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $79,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 65.7% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 686 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. Quarry LP increased its position in Benchmark Electronics by 172.5% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,379 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 873 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 125.3% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,534 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the period. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Benchmark Electronics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock opened at $45.21 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 1.45 and a current ratio of 2.36. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.35 and a 1 year high of $52.57. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.28 and a beta of 0.99.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The technology company reported $0.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.03. Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 6.81% and a net margin of 2.32%. The company had revenue of $658.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $650.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Benchmark Electronics Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Benchmark Electronics

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 24,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.90, for a total transaction of $1,101,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 424,173 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,469,540.70. The trade was a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Rhonda R. Turner sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.98, for a total value of $281,880.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 47,991 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,254,617.18. This trade represents a 11.11 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $42.33.

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.