Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Shares Gap Up to $41.12

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $41.12, but opened at $43.69. Willdan Group shares last traded at $43.69, with a volume of 1,432 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 target price for the company.

Willdan Group Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $556.27 million, a PE ratio of 43.29 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.80.

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

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 1,255,765 shares in the company, valued at $37,585,046.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.93, for a total value of $5,633,723.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,255,765 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,585,046.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total value of $378,767.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. Quadrature Capital Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 25,072 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 8,997 shares during the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 16,703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 2,329 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 55,823 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 82.5% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $176,000 after acquiring an additional 2,748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wulff Hansen & CO. lifted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 23,165 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.