Insider Selling: Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Sells $303,880.00 in Stock

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP John Pye sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.97, for a total transaction of $303,880.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 25,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,914,747.88. This trade represents a 13.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Exponent Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Exponent stock opened at $66.79 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $72.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 32.11 and a beta of 0.79. Exponent, Inc. has a 12 month low of $63.81 and a 12 month high of $91.41.

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

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

Exponent Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders 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 positive change from Exponent’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 57.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Exponent by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 829 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Exponent by 33.9% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 589 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP increased its position in shares of Exponent by 4.5% during the third quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 3,627 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Exponent by 1.1% in the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 14,984 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Exponent by 4.4% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,070 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $304,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

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.