KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Stake in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in Exponent, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 18,300 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,631,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Exponent by 129.8% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Exponent in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Exponent in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont bought a new stake in Exponent during the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 92.37% of the company's stock.

Exponent Price Performance

EXPO stock traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.75. The company had a trading volume of 485,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 233,540. The company has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.56 and a beta of 0.77. Exponent, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.30 and a 52 week high of $115.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.17.

Exponent (NASDAQ:EXPO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The business services provider reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.06. Exponent had a net margin of 19.52% and a return on equity of 27.27%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Exponent, Inc. will post 1.98 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Richard Reiss sold 1,736 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.93, for a total value of $149,174.48. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $154,674. This trade represents a 49.10 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.