Sterling Capital Management LLC Buys 1,019 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,632 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,019 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $528,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth about $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 worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at $242,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Benchmark Electronics

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total value of $232,920.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at $17,398,347.60. This trade represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BHE opened at $35.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.32, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.52 and a 1-year high of $52.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.69 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $38.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.49.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last posted its quarterly 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.90%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on BHE shares. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com raised shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Benchmark Electronics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.