UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Stock Price

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) had its target price increased by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $72.00 to $82.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the business services provider’s stock. UBS Group‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 2.17% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Exponent from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Exponent from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exponent currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.00.

Exponent Price Performance

Shares of Exponent stock opened at $80.26 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $70.19 and its 200 day moving average is $66.64. The company has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.59 and a beta of 0.66. Exponent has a twelve month low of $51.91 and a twelve month high of $83.18.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Exponent had a return on equity of 34.61% and a net margin of 17.40%. The business had revenue of $173.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.64 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Exponent will post 2.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of Exponent 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exponent

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EXPO. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Exponent in the second quarter valued at about $363,428,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Exponent in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,270,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Exponent in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $24,442,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Exponent in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $21,406,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Exponent by 4,466.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 280,639 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,312,000 after acquiring an additional 274,493 shares during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.