AQR Capital Management LLC Has $5.09 Million Stake in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO)

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its position in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,072 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 11,064 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.11% of Exponent worth $5,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Exponent by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,345,503 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $476,284,000 after buying an additional 67,296 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Exponent by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,519,584 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $135,419,000 after buying an additional 13,932 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Exponent by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,188,373 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $105,884,000 after buying an additional 13,263 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Exponent by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 770,270 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $68,631,000 after buying an additional 53,227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its stake in shares of Exponent by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 739,710 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $65,908,000 after acquiring an additional 4,704 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.37% of the company's stock.

Exponent Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXPO traded down $0.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $78.62. 63,813 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 242,988. Exponent, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.37 and a fifty-two week high of $115.75. The firm has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.58 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.17.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. Exponent had a return on equity of 27.27% and a net margin of 19.52%. The company had revenue of $137.44 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.63 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Exponent's payout ratio is presently 58.54%.

Insider Activity at Exponent

In related news, VP Richard Reiss sold 1,736 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.93, for a total value of $149,174.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,674. This trade represents a 49.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.