Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Strong Trading Volume

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 82,558 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 0% from the previous session’s volume of 82,194 shares.The stock last traded at $40.03 and had previously closed at $40.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WLDN shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 price target for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $36.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.25. The stock has a market cap of $570.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.86 and a beta of 1.40.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firm had revenue of $141.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total transaction of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,188,209.96. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.93, for a total transaction of $5,633,723.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,255,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,585,046.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total value of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 218,535 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,175. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WLDN. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 168.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $90,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 2,748 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Willdan Group by 73.6% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 2,882 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

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.