StockNews.com Upgrades Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) to Strong-Buy

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday.

WLDN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wedbush started coverage on Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 target price for the company. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Willdan Group stock opened at $42.07 on Tuesday. Willdan Group has a 12-month low of $17.09 and a 12-month high of $42.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.63. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $581.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.24 and a beta of 1.40.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.19 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Willdan Group will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total transaction of $27,345.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at $6,188,209.96. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total value 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 $6,188,209.96. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.93, for a total transaction of $5,633,723.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,255,765 shares in the company, valued at $37,585,046.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 218,535 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,175 in the last 90 days. 9.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wulff Hansen & CO. boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 2,785.0% in the second quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 668,310 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $19,281,000 after buying an additional 645,145 shares during the period. Swedbank AB acquired a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter worth $12,628,000. Summit Creek Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Willdan Group by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 374,597 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,860,000 after purchasing an additional 12,056 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 324,145 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,351,000 after purchasing an additional 41,367 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 135,336 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.