Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Joseph Sala Sells 2,066 Shares of Stock

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Joseph Sala sold 2,066 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.66, for a total transaction of $117,059.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Exponent Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EXPO opened at $54.54 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $66.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $69.96. Exponent, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.91 and a fifty-two week high of $81.95.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $166.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.53 million. Exponent had a net margin of 18.07% and a return on equity of 27.94%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio is 57.67%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exponent

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Exponent by 1.1% during the 3rd 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. Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,709 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 50.4% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 576 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 37.1% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 717 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 97.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 396 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on EXPO shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Exponent from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Exponent from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Exponent currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.00.

About Exponent

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.