Insider Selling: Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Sells 2,945 Shares of Stock

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) VP Joseph Rakow sold 2,945 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.66, for a total value of $160,973.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Exponent Trading Down 4.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPO traded down $2.65 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $54.54. 972,377 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 469,084. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.37 and a beta of 0.78. Exponent, Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.91 and a 52-week high of $81.95. The business’s fifty day moving average is $66.50 and its 200-day moving average is $69.96.

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

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th 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 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio is 57.67%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exponent

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Exponent by 423.6% during the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 377 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 305 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Exponent by 97.0% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 396 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Exponent in the third quarter worth $33,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Exponent by 86.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Winnow Wealth LLC bought a new position in Exponent in the third quarter worth $34,000. 92.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.