Squarepoint Ops LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its holdings in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 65.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 124,656 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,157 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned 0.35% of Benchmark Electronics worth $5,659,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,145,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter valued at about $868,000. Barclays PLC grew its position in Benchmark Electronics by 128.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,024 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,814,000 after acquiring an additional 48,425 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Benchmark Electronics by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 71,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $3,223,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Benchmark Electronics by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 190,444 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $8,646,000 after acquiring an additional 6,112 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Benchmark Electronics

In other Benchmark Electronics news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the company’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 owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at $17,398,347.60. This represents a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Lake Street Capital lowered their price target on Benchmark Electronics from $52.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Benchmark Electronics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Benchmark Electronics from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th.

Benchmark Electronics Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of BHE opened at $35.83 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $36.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71 and a beta of 0.92. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.73 and a 12 month high of $52.57. 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) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The technology company reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.02. Benchmark Electronics had a return on equity of 6.68% and a net margin of 2.38%. The business had revenue of $631.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $640.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.17 dividend. 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 46.90%.

Benchmark Electronics 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.