736,619 Shares in Exponent, Inc. $EXPO Acquired by Norges Bank

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 736,619 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $51,166,000. Norges Bank owned 1.48% of Exponent at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Exponent by 97.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 396 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Exponent by 86.1% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 469 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 50.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 576 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 39.1% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,153 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. 92.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exponent Stock Performance

EXPO opened at $59.66 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a PE ratio of 27.75 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.75 and its 200-day moving average is $68.51. Exponent, Inc. has a one year low of $51.91 and a one year high of $81.95.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.03. Exponent had a return on equity of 27.94% and a net margin of 18.07%.The business had revenue of $166.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $149.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.52 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Exponent’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 57.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exponent

In related news, VP Joseph Sala sold 2,066 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.66, for a total value of $117,059.56. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Joseph Rakow sold 2,945 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.66, for a total transaction of $160,973.70. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,026 shares of company stock worth $1,148,361. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on EXPO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Exponent from $95.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 15th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of Exponent in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exponent has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.50.

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.