Hantz Financial Services Inc. Buys 4,665 Shares of Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:BHE) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 41,736 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,665 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Benchmark Electronics were worth $1,895,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 40.2% during 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 last quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new stake in Benchmark Electronics in the fourth quarter worth $1,870,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 8,303 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 841 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its stake in shares of Benchmark Electronics by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,162 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $280,000 after acquiring an additional 334 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased 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 worth $116,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Benchmark Electronics

In other news, SVP Rhonda R. Turner sold 6,000 shares of Benchmark Electronics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.98, for a total transaction of $281,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 47,991 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,254,617.18. The trade was a 11.11 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeff Benck sold 24,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.90, for a total value of $1,101,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 424,173 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,469,540.70. This represents a 5.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 36,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,655,340. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Benchmark Electronics Stock Down 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE BHE opened at $42.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.74 and a beta of 1.00. Benchmark Electronics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.04 and a 52 week high of $52.57. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $46.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $44.73.

Benchmark Electronics (NYSE:BHE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The technology company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.01). Benchmark Electronics had a net margin of 2.32% and a return on equity of 6.81%.

Benchmark Electronics Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Benchmark Electronics’s payout ratio is currently 39.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on BHE. StockNews.com raised shares of Benchmark Electronics from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report 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 stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock 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.