AQR Capital Management LLC Has $6.74 Million Stake in Exponent, Inc. $EXPO

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Exponent, Inc. by 45.8%, owning approximately $6.74 million by acquiring an additional 26,120 shares in the first quarter.
• Exponent reported $0.52 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing estimates and achieving a revenue of $132.87 million, marking a 7.3% year-over-year increase.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.7%, with a payout ratio of 60%.

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) by 45.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 83,192 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,120 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.16% of Exponent worth $6,744,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 1.2% in the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 4,791,747 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $388,419,000 after acquiring an additional 55,190 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 11.2% in the first quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,745,828 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $141,517,000 after acquiring an additional 176,152 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 17.3% in the first quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 506,784 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $41,250,000 after acquiring an additional 74,605 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 2.0% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 441,646 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,800,000 after acquiring an additional 8,501 shares during the period. Finally, Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 288,240 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,682,000 after acquiring an additional 11,720 shares during the period. 92.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exponent Price Performance

Shares of EXPO stock traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $68.99. The stock had a trading volume of 373,626 shares, compared to its average volume of 445,212. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50 and a beta of 0.94. Exponent, Inc. has a twelve month low of $63.81 and a twelve month high of $115.75. The stock's 50 day moving average is $71.26 and its 200 day moving average is $75.95.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $132.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.82 million. Exponent had a return on equity of 24.19% and a net margin of 18.35%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Exponent's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Exponent news, VP Joseph Sala sold 1,595 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.64, for a total value of $112,670.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 4,905 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.91, for a total value of $342,908.55. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 82,753 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,785,262.23. The trade was a 5.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,396 shares of company stock worth $803,636. Corporate insiders own 1.60% 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.