Exponent, Inc. $EXPO Shares Sold by Rhumbline Advisers

Rhumbline Advisers decreased its position in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) by 10.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 170,985 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 19,156 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Exponent were worth $11,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Exponent by 97.0% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 396 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Exponent during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Winnow Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Exponent by 145.4% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Exponent news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 3,920 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.15, for a total value of $263,228.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 93,731 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,294,036.65. This represents a 4.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP John Pye sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.97, for a total value of $303,880.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 25,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,914,747.88. This represents a 13.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,808 shares of company stock valued at $915,845. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on EXPO. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. William Blair upgraded Exponent from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Exponent in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Exponent in a research report on Monday, January 26th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $92.50.

Exponent Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPO opened at $70.07 on Friday. Exponent, Inc. has a 1 year low of $63.81 and a 1 year high of $87.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a PE ratio of 33.69 and a beta of 0.79. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $72.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.98.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.02. Exponent had a return on equity of 25.51% and a net margin of 18.21%.The company had revenue of $147.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $128.48 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Exponent announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to buy up to 3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Exponent Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a boost from Exponent’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.69%.

Exponent Company Profile

Exponent, Inc (NASDAQ: EXPO) is an engineering and scientific consulting firm that offers multidisciplinary analysis and advisory services to clients across a range of industries. The company’s expertise spans mechanical, materials and corrosion engineering, civil and structural engineering, electrical engineering, industrial hygiene, toxicology and health sciences, and failure analysis. Exponent provides support for product design, performance evaluation, litigation consulting, and regulatory compliance, helping manufacturers, insurers, law firms and government agencies address complex technical challenges.

Founded in 1967 in Menlo Park, California, Exponent has grown from a small failure-analysis laboratory into a global consulting practice.