Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) CEO Sells $113,139.96 in Stock

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,557,278.24. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Catherine Corrigan also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, June 15th, Catherine Corrigan sold 4,119 shares of Exponent stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.13, for a total transaction of $235,318.47.

Exponent Trading Down 0.8%

EXPO opened at $69.38 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.11 and a beta of 0.68. Exponent, Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.91 and a 12 month high of $81.95. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.56.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Exponent had a return on equity of 31.48% and a net margin of 17.67%.The firm had revenue of $171.61 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $144.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.52 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio is currently 55.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on EXPO shares. UBS Group set a $72.00 target price on Exponent and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Exponent from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a report on Friday, July 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 423.6% in the 1st quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 377 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Exponent in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Exponent during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Exponent by 86.1% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Exponent by 37.1% during the first 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. Institutional investors own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

About Exponent

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.