Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 320,400 shares, a decrease of 19.1% from the December 15th total of 396,100 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 163,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.0 days.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Willdan Group stock opened at $38.09 on Friday. Willdan Group has a 1 year low of $18.15 and a 1 year high of $50.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The company has a market capitalization of $537.83 million, a P/E ratio of 23.37 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.49 and a 200-day moving average of $39.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 1,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.86, for a total value of $82,731.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 173,654 shares in the company, valued at $7,963,772.44. The trade was a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 4,349 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $187,572.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,982,266.98. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,787 shares of company stock valued at $936,061 in the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in Willdan Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $15,608,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the third quarter worth approximately $2,970,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 339.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 55,426 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after buying an additional 42,826 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Willdan Group by 68.9% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 104,259 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,008,000 after acquiring an additional 42,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 14.6% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 324,145 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,351,000 after buying an additional 41,367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on WLDN. StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Monday, November 4th.

About Willdan Group

Willdan Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides professional, technical, and consulting services primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Energy, and Engineering and Consulting. The Energy segment offers comprehensive audit and surveys, program design and implementation, master planning, demand reduction, grid optimization, benchmarking analyses, design engineering, construction management, performance contracting, installation, alternative financing, measurement and verification services, and software and data analytics, as well as energy consulting and engineering, turnkey facility and infrastructure projects, and customer support services.