Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) was upgraded by stock analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on EXPO. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Exponent from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Exponent from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Exponent from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.00.

Exponent Stock Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:EXPO opened at $85.97 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.06 and a beta of 0.66. Exponent has a twelve month low of $51.91 and a twelve month high of $87.97. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.77.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $173.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $149.64 million. Exponent had a net margin of 17.40% and a return on equity of 34.61%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Exponent will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exponent

In related news, CEO Catherine Corrigan sold 1,707 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.28, for a total value of $113,139.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 129,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,557,278.24. This trade represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Exponent

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Exponent in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Exponent by 37.1% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 717 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP bought a new position in shares of Exponent during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exponent by 36.4% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 959 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.37% of the company’s stock.

About Exponent

Exponent, Inc is a science and engineering consulting company that helps clients investigate complex technical issues, manage risks, and develop solutions. Its consultants work across disciplines including engineering, materials science, biomechanics, human factors, environmental science, health, data sciences, and economics.

The company provides failure analysis, product safety and testing, accident reconstruction, environmental and health assessments, regulatory support, and expert testimony.