Entropy Technologies LP Takes Position in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO)

Key Points

• Entropy Technologies LP has made a substantial investment of approximately $547,000 in Exponent, Inc. during the first quarter, acquiring 6,745 shares of the company.
• Exponent reported strong quarterly earnings, with $0.52 earnings per share exceeding analyst estimates of $0.48, and achieving $132.87 million in revenue, up 7.3% year-over-year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.7%, with a payout ratio of 60%.

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 6,745 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $547,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Exponent by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 8,747 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $779,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Exponent by 2.7% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 5,946 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Exponent by 2.5% in the first quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,709 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Exponent by 6.0% in the first quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Exponent by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,710 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exponent Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ EXPO traded down $1.42 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $69.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 539,740 shares, compared to its average volume of 310,341. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $73.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.73. Exponent, Inc. has a one year low of $63.81 and a one year high of $115.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63 and a beta of 0.89.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $132.87 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $130.82 million. Exponent had a net margin of 18.35% and a return on equity of 24.19%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Joseph Rakow sold 1,573 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 the SEC website. Also, VP Bradley A. James sold 2,694 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were 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 90 days, insiders have sold 12,758 shares of company stock worth $949,848. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

About Exponent

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.