Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Sets New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $73.32 and last traded at $73.50, with a volume of 223804 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.05.

Exponent Stock Up 1.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 35.98 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $77.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.82.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $137.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $134.63 million. Exponent had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 25.33%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Exponent's payout ratio is presently 58.54%.

Insider Transactions at Exponent

In other news, VP John Pye sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.32, for a total transaction of $152,640.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 29,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,228,849.28. This trade represents a 6.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Bradley A. James sold 2,694 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.52, for a total value of $214,226.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 6,267 shares of company stock worth $489,120 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Exponent by 129.8% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 278 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Exponent in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in Exponent by 10,200.0% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 309 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Exponent by 5,333.3% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 326 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in Exponent by 76.7% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 440 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.37% of the company's stock.

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.