Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 6.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 185,217 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 12,320 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.51% of Benchmark Electronics worth $5,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 28,848 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $797,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC now owns 12,360 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $371,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 97.9% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 566 shares during the period. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Benchmark Electronics by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Keeley Teton Advisors LLC now owns 62,915 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,739,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics in the first quarter valued at $27,000. 92.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BHE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC upped their price target on shares of Benchmark Electronics from $31.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. Sidoti lowered shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $33.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Fox Advisors lowered shares of Benchmark Electronics from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 15th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Benchmark Electronics

In other news, Director Jeffrey Stephen Mccreary sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.49, for a total transaction of $394,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 45,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,779,498.38. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Jeffrey Stephen Mccreary sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.49, for a total transaction of $394,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 45,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,779,498.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jan M. Janick sold 6,777 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.87, for a total transaction of $263,421.99. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 67,774 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,634,375.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,560 shares of company stock worth $688,374. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Benchmark Electronics Price Performance

Benchmark Electronics stock traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $38.98. The company had a trading volume of 37,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 345,585. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.74 and a beta of 0.99. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.66 and a 12-month high of $44.85. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.36 and a quick ratio of 1.41.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The technology company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $675.58 million for the quarter. Benchmark Electronics had a net margin of 2.34% and a return on equity of 7.20%.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 28th will be issued a $0.165 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 28th. This represents a $0.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. Benchmark Electronics’s payout ratio is 36.07%.

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.