Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Sets New 52-Week Low - Should You Sell?

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock 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 Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 35.81 and a beta of 0.92. The company's fifty day moving average is $77.65 and its 200-day moving average is $84.17.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $134.63 million. Exponent had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 25.33%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.59 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. Exponent's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Joseph Rakow sold 1,573 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.72, for a total transaction of $122,253.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Bradley A. James sold 2,694 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.52, for a total transaction of $214,226.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,267 shares of company stock valued at $489,120. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Exponent by 129.8% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 278 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Exponent during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Exponent by 10,200.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in Exponent by 5,333.3% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 326 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. 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 purchasing 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.

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