Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $89.82, but opened at $95.00. Exponent shares last traded at $88.29, with a volume of 145,610 shares trading hands.

The business services provider reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.40 by $0.06. Exponent had a net margin of 19.52% and a return on equity of 27.73%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS.

Exponent Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This is a boost from Exponent’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Paul R. Johnston sold 7,000 shares of Exponent stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.32, for a total value of $688,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 59,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,840,797.92. This trade represents a 10.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 15,300 shares of company stock worth $1,538,589 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Exponent by 129.8% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 278 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Exponent during the third quarter worth $26,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Exponent by 76.7% during the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 440 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new position in Exponent during the fourth quarter worth $45,000. Finally, USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in Exponent during the third quarter worth $60,000. Institutional investors own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

Exponent Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.91 and a beta of 0.71. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $91.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.73.

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.