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

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $72.00 to $82.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Exponent from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Exponent from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.00.

Exponent Price Performance

Shares of EXPO opened at $80.26 on Friday. Exponent has a 1 year low of $51.91 and a 1 year high of $83.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $70.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.64. The firm has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a PE ratio of 34.59 and a beta of 0.66.

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 company 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 company earned $0.55 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exponent will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 4th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.28, for a total transaction of $113,139.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,557,278.24. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Exponent during the second quarter worth about $3,065,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Exponent in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,270,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in Exponent in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,309,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Exponent by 114.3% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 36,614 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,389,000 after purchasing an additional 19,528 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,414,000. 92.37% of the stock is currently 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.