Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) shares recently hit a new 52-week low at $71.08 during trading, down from a previous close of $72.23, with a total volume of 119,680 shares exchanged.
• The company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and recorded a slight year-over-year revenue increase of 0.2% to $137.44 million.
• Exponent also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend rate of $1.20 and a yield of 1.69%.

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $71.23 and last traded at $71.08, with a volume of 119680 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $72.23.

Exponent Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.68 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $80.90.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The business services provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. Exponent had a return on equity of 25.33% and a net margin of 18.87%. The firm had revenue of $137.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $134.63 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.59 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. Exponent's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.54%.

Insider Activity at Exponent

In related news, VP Bradley A. James sold 2,694 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.52, for a total value of $214,226.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Joseph Rakow sold 1,573 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.72, for a total value of $122,253.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,267 shares of company stock valued at $489,120 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Exponent by 103.3% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 681 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exponent by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 441,646 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $35,800,000 after buying an additional 8,501 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exponent in the 1st quarter worth approximately $665,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in shares of Exponent by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 6,835 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $554,000 after buying an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exponent by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,274 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 753 shares during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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