Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Hits New 12-Month High on Earnings Beat

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $102.52 and last traded at $101.87, with a volume of 235195 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $79.68.

The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.13. Exponent had a net margin of 18.69% and a return on equity of 28.49%. The company had revenue of $137.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $125.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Exponent Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $0.28 per share. This is a boost from Exponent’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Exponent from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Exponent from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 4th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exponent

In other Exponent news, insider Eric Guyer sold 3,367 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.49, for a total value of $264,275.83. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,995,605 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $439,813,000 after buying an additional 19,795 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,685,472 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $401,076,000 after buying an additional 408,295 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,451,301 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $215,813,000 after buying an additional 7,032 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,558,189 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $137,183,000 after buying an additional 146,778 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Exponent by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 693,259 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $59,343,000 after purchasing an additional 71,074 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

Exponent Trading Up 22.2 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.92. The firm has a market cap of $4.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.96 and a beta of 0.68.

Exponent Company Profile

Exponent, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a science and engineering consulting company in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Engineering and Other Scientific, and Environmental and Health. The Engineering and Other Scientific segment provides services in the areas of biomechanics, biomedical engineering and sciences, buildings and structures, civil engineering, construction consulting, data sciences, electrical engineering and computer science, human factors, materials and corrosion engineering, mechanical engineering, polymer science and materials chemistry, thermal sciences, and vehicle engineering.