101,900 Shares in Exponent, Inc. $EXPO Purchased by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Key Points

• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired 101,900 Exponent shares worth approximately $5.99 million, while institutional investors collectively own 92.37% of the company.
• Exponent reported quarterly EPS of $0.60, beating estimates by $0.05, as revenue rose 12% year over year to $171.61 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, equivalent to a $1.24 annualized payout and a 1.7% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an $81 average price target.

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 101,900 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,988,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.21% of Exponent at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of EXPO. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 87,479.8% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 230,335 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $15,999,000 after acquiring an additional 230,072 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its holdings in Exponent by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 176,404 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,253,000 after purchasing an additional 40,359 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Exponent by 114.3% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 36,614 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,389,000 after purchasing an additional 19,528 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC raised its position in Exponent by 785.8% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 24,775 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,721,000 after purchasing an additional 21,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP raised its position in Exponent by 73.8% in the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 652,109 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $45,295,000 after purchasing an additional 276,889 shares during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Exponent Price Performance

NASDAQ:EXPO opened at $71.53 on Monday. Exponent, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.91 and a fifty-two week high of $81.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 32.08 and a beta of 0.68. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $64.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.43.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. Exponent had a net margin of 17.67% and a return on equity of 31.48%. The company had revenue of $171.61 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $144.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current 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 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 4th. Exponent's dividend payout ratio is currently 55.61%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 4,119 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.13, for a total transaction of $235,318.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 106,670 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,094,057.10. This trade represents a 3.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Insiders own 1.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on EXPO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Exponent from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Exponent in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, UBS Group set a $72.00 target price on Exponent and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exponent currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $81.00.

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.

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