Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $90.51 and last traded at $88.19, with a volume of 10,222 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.43.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on EXPO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Exponent from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Exponent from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Exponent from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Exponent from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.00.

Exponent Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $71.74 and a 200 day moving average of $66.95. The stock has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.22 and a beta of 0.66.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $173.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.64 million. Exponent had a net margin of 17.40% and a return on equity of 34.61%. Exponent’s revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.36 EPS for the current year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 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 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 4th. Exponent’s payout ratio is currently 53.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Richard Reiss sold 1,280 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.44, for a total transaction of $110,643.20. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,131.52. The trade was a 55.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.28, for a total transaction of $113,139.96. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,557,278.24. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exponent

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Exponent during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Exponent during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exponent by 37.1% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 717 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Exponent during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Exponent by 36.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 959 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Exponent

Exponent, Inc is a science and engineering consulting company that helps clients investigate complex technical issues, manage risks, and develop solutions. Its consultants work across disciplines including engineering, materials science, biomechanics, human factors, environmental science, health, data sciences, and economics.

The company provides failure analysis, product safety and testing, accident reconstruction, environmental and health assessments, regulatory support, and expert testimony.