Short Interest in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Grows By 33.9%

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 413,600 shares, an increase of 33.9% from the September 30th total of 308,900 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 165,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of Willdan Group 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 9,209 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.36, for a total value of $334,839.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,237.36. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,305 shares of company stock valued at $1,105,451. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLDN. nVerses Capital LLC lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 125.0% in the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Willdan Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Willdan Group by 168.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Willdan Group in the first quarter worth $90,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WLDN has been the topic of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wedbush began coverage on Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their target price on Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd.

Willdan Group Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ WLDN traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 169,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 95,792. Willdan Group has a one year low of $17.09 and a one year high of $46.64. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.57. 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 cap of $634.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.86 and a beta of 1.41.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 last year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Willdan Group will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.