Exponent, Inc. $EXPO Shares Purchased by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) by 160.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 271,842 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 167,484 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.57% of Exponent worth $15,973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of EXPO. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Exponent by 423.6% in the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 377 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Exponent during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Exponent by 86.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Exponent during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted 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 during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EXPO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Exponent from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group set a $72.00 price target on Exponent and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exponent presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exponent

In other news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.28, for a total value of $113,139.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 129,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,557,278.24. This trade represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Exponent Stock Down 2.4%

Shares of EXPO stock opened at $68.35 on Friday. Exponent, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.91 and a fifty-two week high of $81.95. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $65.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.46. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.65 and a beta of 0.68.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $171.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.99 million. Exponent had a net margin of 17.67% and a return on equity of 31.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.52 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. Exponent’s payout ratio is currently 55.61%.

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.