Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Richard Reiss Sells 1,280 Shares of Stock

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Richard Reiss sold 1,280 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.44, for a total transaction of $110,643.20. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,008 shares in the company, valued at $87,131.52. This trade represents a 55.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Exponent Stock Performance

Exponent stock opened at $87.43 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $71.17 and its 200-day moving average is $66.84. Exponent, Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.91 and a 1 year high of $88.17. The company has a market cap of $4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.69 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be issued a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 4th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.45%.

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Exponent during the third quarter valued at approximately $221,000. Summit Creek Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exponent during the third quarter worth approximately $2,520,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exponent during the third quarter worth approximately $226,000. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Exponent by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,050 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridge City Capital LLC grew its holdings in Exponent by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 49,231 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,221,000 after buying an additional 8,729 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Exponent Company Profile

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.