Exponent, Inc. (EXPO) has reported a 5.46 percent rise in profit for the quarter ended Dec. 30, 2016. The company has earned $10.39 million, or $0.39 a share in the quarter, compared with $9.85 million, or $0.36 a share for the same period last year.

Revenue during the quarter grew 4.52 percent to $77.01 million from $73.68 million in the previous year period. Gross margin for the quarter contracted 25 basis points over the previous year period to 94.47 percent. Total expenses were 80.59 percent of quarterly revenues, down from 80.62 percent for the same period last year. This has led to an improvement of 3 basis points in operating margin to 19.41 percent.

Operating income for the quarter was $14.95 million, compared with $14.28 million in the previous year period.

"We are pleased that Exponent’s fourth quarter and full year 2016 results were slightly better than our prior outlook. The revenue growth was tempered by a challenging year over year comparison in the first half of the year and softness in a few industry sectors. However, during the second half of 2016, we began to see an increase in demand, especially related to needs for our expertise in the consumer products and construction industry sectors," commented Dr. Paul Johnston, chief executive officer.