B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $558,000 Stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its holdings in shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 42.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,284 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 9,037 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $558,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. KBC Group NV grew its stake in Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,151 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,547 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments acquired a new stake in Benchmark Electronics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $242,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA bought a new stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics during the third quarter worth approximately $238,000. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jeff Benck sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.82, for a total transaction of $232,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 448,180 shares in the company, valued at $17,398,347.60. This represents a 1.32 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BHE. StockNews.com upgraded Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Benchmark Electronics from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.00.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Down 3.3 %

BHE stock opened at $32.68 on Friday. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.64 and a 52 week high of $52.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.19. 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 company has a market cap of $1.18 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89 and a beta of 0.97.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last issued 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Benchmark Electronics’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.31%.

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.