Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities researchers at UBS Group from $85.00 to $75.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "neutral" rating on the business services provider's stock. UBS Group's price objective points to a potential upside of 14.89% from the company's current price.
A number of other equities analysts have also commented on EXPO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Exponent from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Exponent in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.
Get Our Latest Analysis on EXPO
Exponent Price Performance
EXPO traded down $1.61 on Friday, hitting $65.28. The company had a trading volume of 848,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,930. The company's fifty day moving average price is $67.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.28. Exponent has a 1-year low of $63.25 and a 1-year high of $81.95. The stock has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.38 and a beta of 0.80.
Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $166.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $149.53 million. Exponent had a return on equity of 25.51% and a net margin of 18.21%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.52 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exponent will post 2.27 EPS for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, VP John Pye sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.97, for a total transaction of $303,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 25,204 shares in the company, valued at $1,914,747.88. The trade was a 13.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 3,920 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.15, for a total value of $263,228.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 93,731 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,294,036.65. This trade represents a 4.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,741 shares of company stock valued at $1,095,768. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exponent
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Exponent in the 1st quarter worth approximately $270,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Exponent by 1,481.0% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 127,222 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $10,313,000 after acquiring an additional 119,175 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Exponent by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 554,733 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $41,444,000 after acquiring an additional 17,930 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP acquired a new position in shares of Exponent in the second quarter valued at $18,377,000. Finally, Walleye Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Exponent by 7.5% in the second quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 6,623 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $495,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.37% of the company's stock.
Exponent News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Exponent this week:
Exponent Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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