Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Sets New 1-Year High After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. 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 for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $137.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $125.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.56 earnings per share. Exponent’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Exponent Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $0.28 dividend. This is a positive change from Exponent’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.26. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on EXPO shares. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Exponent from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Exponent from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th.

Insider Transactions at Exponent

In other 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 transaction of $264,275.83. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Exponent in the third quarter valued at $39,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Exponent by 293.7% in the first quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 626 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Exponent in the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Exponent in the first quarter valued at $75,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Exponent by 157.7% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 915 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $78,000 after acquiring an additional 560 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

Exponent Stock Up 19.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $4.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.83 and a beta of 0.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $79.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.94.

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.