Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Receives New Coverage from Analysts at Wedbush

Wedbush began coverage on shares of Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $51.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on WLDN. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Willdan Group from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $37.59 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $34.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $525.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.42 and a beta of 1.40. Willdan Group has a fifty-two week low of $17.09 and a fifty-two week high of $40.51.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last issued its earnings results 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. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 3.10%. The firm had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $123.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Willdan Group will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total value of $378,767.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,213,668.86. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total value of $378,767.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 256,004 shares of company stock worth $7,890,685 over the last 90 days. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wulff Hansen & CO. increased its stake in Willdan Group by 2,785.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 668,310 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $19,281,000 after buying an additional 645,145 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new stake in Willdan Group in the first quarter worth about $12,628,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 1,905.2% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 55,144 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,588,000 after purchasing an additional 52,394 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 339.9% during the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 55,426 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,599,000 after acquiring an additional 42,826 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the first quarter worth approximately $1,239,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by 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.