Raymond James Financial Inc. Makes New Investment in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 91,309 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,145,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at about $50,000. KBC Group NV raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new position in Benchmark Electronics during the third quarter valued at $238,000. Finally, Highland Capital Management LLC increased its position in Benchmark Electronics by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,620 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. 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 Benchmark Electronics 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,398,347.60. The trade was a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BHE has been the subject of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Benchmark Electronics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Benchmark Electronics stock opened at $39.87 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a current ratio of 2.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.05 and a beta of 0.97. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $28.64 and a 52-week high of $52.57. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $41.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.39.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Benchmark Electronics’s payout ratio is currently 39.31%.

Benchmark Electronics Company 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.