Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $90.51 and last traded at $88.19, with a volume of 10,222 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $87.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Exponent Trading Up 1.3%

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $71.17 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.84. The company has a market cap of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.13 and a beta of 0.66.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $173.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.64 million. Exponent had a return on equity of 34.61% and a net margin of 17.40%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 4th. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.45%.

Insider Activity at Exponent

In other news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.28, for a total transaction of $113,139.96. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 129,108 shares in the company, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Richard Reiss sold 1,280 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,131.52. This trade represents a 55.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hohimer Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exponent in the third quarter worth $221,000. Summit Creek Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Exponent during the third quarter worth $2,520,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Exponent during the third quarter valued at $226,000. Covestor Ltd boosted its position in Exponent by 10.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,050 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridge City Capital LLC boosted its position in Exponent by 21.6% during the third quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 49,231 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,221,000 after purchasing an additional 8,729 shares during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.