Exponent, Inc. $EXPO Stock Holdings Lifted by UBS Group AG

Key Points

• UBS Group AG increased its stake in Exponent by 29.7% in the fourth quarter, holding 176,404 shares worth about $12.25 million. Institutional investors remain heavily involved, owning 92.37% of the stock.
• Exponent shares were down 1.6%, trading at $53.67, near the lower end of its 52-week range of $51.91 to $81.95. The stock also sits well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• The company beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.59 EPS versus the $0.56 estimate and revenue of $166.3 million, up 14.3% year over year. Exponent also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, yielding 2.3% annualized.

UBS Group AG grew its stake in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) by 29.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 176,404 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 40,359 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned about 0.35% of Exponent worth $12,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent during the third quarter worth $29,780,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Exponent by 135.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 580,134 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $40,308,000 after purchasing an additional 334,154 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY increased its stake in Exponent by 49.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 501,239 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $37,448,000 after purchasing an additional 166,930 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in Exponent by 1,481.0% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 127,222 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $10,313,000 after buying an additional 119,175 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Exponent by 18.3% in the third quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 705,278 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $48,980,000 after buying an additional 109,160 shares during the period. 92.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Exponent Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:EXPO opened at $53.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.96 and a beta of 0.78. Exponent, Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.91 and a 1 year high of $81.95. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.85.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.03. Exponent had a return on equity of 27.94% and a net margin of 18.07%.The firm had revenue of $166.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.53 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.52 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.28 EPS for the current year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Exponent's payout ratio is presently 57.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Exponent news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 3,920 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.15, for a total value of $263,228.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 93,731 shares in the company, valued at $6,294,036.65. The trade was a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Joseph Sala sold 2,066 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.66, for a total transaction of $117,059.56. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,752 shares of company stock worth $1,069,921. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on EXPO. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Exponent in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Exponent from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Exponent from $85.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Exponent currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.00.

Exponent Company Profile

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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