Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Short Interest Update

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) saw a large drop in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 396,100 shares, a drop of 17.3% from the November 30th total of 478,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 173,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 4,349 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $187,572.37. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,982,266.98. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 1,804 shares of Willdan Group 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,772.44. The trade was a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,787 shares of company stock worth $936,061 in the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 82.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 76,586 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,136,000 after acquiring an additional 34,699 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Willdan Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $308,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the third quarter worth approximately $15,608,000. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the third quarter worth $351,000. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 245.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,301 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $708,000 after buying an additional 12,297 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Willdan Group Stock Down 0.9 %

WLDN opened at $38.41 on Monday. Willdan Group has a 1-year low of $17.23 and a 1-year high of $50.00. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $542.54 million, a PE ratio of 23.56 and a beta of 1.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WLDN shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 price objective on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th.

Willdan Group Company Profile

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.