Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO) Position Reduced by Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) by 0.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,802,629 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 3,888 shares during the quarter. Exponent makes up approximately 3.3% of Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 5.52% of Exponent worth $249,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Exponent in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Exponent in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Exponent in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in shares of Exponent in the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exponent in the third quarter worth $64,000. Institutional investors own 92.37% of the company's stock.

Exponent Price Performance

EXPO traded down $2.79 during trading on Thursday, hitting $89.82. 418,729 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 211,376. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.39 and a beta of 0.71. Exponent, Inc. has a 12-month low of $74.30 and a 12-month high of $115.75. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $92.13 and a 200 day moving average of $100.83.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The business services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. Exponent had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 19.52%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 2.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Exponent Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. This is a boost from Exponent's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Exponent's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.11%.

Insider Activity at Exponent

In related news, Director Paul R. Johnston sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.32, for a total value of $688,240.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 59,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,840,797.92. This represents a 10.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 15,300 shares of company stock worth $1,538,589 over the last ninety days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.