BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $10.85 Million Position in Exponent, Inc. $EXPO

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its holdings in shares of Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) by 21.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 156,148 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 43,352 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Exponent were worth $10,846,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Exponent by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,392,499 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $166,183,000 after purchasing an additional 31,303 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Exponent in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,166,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Exponent by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 733,354 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $50,953,000 after purchasing an additional 4,695 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP increased its stake in shares of Exponent by 73.8% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 652,109 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,295,000 after purchasing an additional 276,889 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of Exponent by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 645,726 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $48,242,000 after purchasing an additional 88,350 shares during the period. 92.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Exponent Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ EXPO opened at $59.66 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.75 and a beta of 0.72. Exponent, Inc. has a 1-year low of $51.91 and a 1-year high of $81.95. The business’s 50 day moving average is $62.75 and its 200-day moving average is $68.51.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $149.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.52 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.28 EPS for the current year.

Exponent Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on EXPO shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Exponent in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective on shares of Exponent in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Exponent from $95.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $77.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exponent

In related news, VP Joseph Rakow sold 2,945 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.66, for a total value of $160,973.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Bradley A. James sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.47, for a total transaction of $114,940.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,504.35. This represents a 64.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 19,026 shares of company stock worth $1,148,361. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Exponent 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.