Gallacher Capital Management LLC Buys Shares of 9,910 Exponent, Inc. $EXPO

Gallacher Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 9,910 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $647,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in Exponent by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,709 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $466,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Exponent by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 576 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Exponent by 37.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 717 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Exponent by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Exponent by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 12,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $783,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

Exponent Stock Performance

EXPO opened at $64.41 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $58.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.88. The company has a market cap of $3.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96 and a beta of 0.72. Exponent, Inc. has a one year low of $51.91 and a one year high of $81.95.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $166.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.53 million. Exponent had a return on equity of 27.94% and a net margin of 18.07%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio is presently 57.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exponent

In other Exponent news, VP Bradley A. James sold 2,000 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.47, for a total transaction of $114,940.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,504.35. The trade was a 64.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Joseph Rakow sold 2,945 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.66, for a total transaction of $160,973.70. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,324 shares of company stock valued at $855,019. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

EXPO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Exponent from $95.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Exponent in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $77.50.

Exponent Company Profile

Exponent, Inc (NASDAQ: EXPO) is an engineering and scientific consulting firm that offers multidisciplinary analysis and advisory services to clients across a range of industries. The company’s expertise spans mechanical, materials and corrosion engineering, civil and structural engineering, electrical engineering, industrial hygiene, toxicology and health sciences, and failure analysis. Exponent provides support for product design, performance evaluation, litigation consulting, and regulatory compliance, helping manufacturers, insurers, law firms and government agencies address complex technical challenges.

Founded in 1967 in Menlo Park, California, Exponent has grown from a small failure-analysis laboratory into a global consulting practice.