Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective (up from $27.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Monday, May 6th.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $29.45 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $30.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $407.00 million, a PE ratio of 31.67 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.79, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Willdan Group has a twelve month low of $17.09 and a twelve month high of $34.81.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The construction company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $122.49 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.02 million. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 2.44%. On average, analysts anticipate that Willdan Group will post 1.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 50,208 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.85, for a total value of $1,448,500.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,748,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $50,441,801.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 7,347 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.01, for a total transaction of $235,177.47. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 413,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,249,195.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 50,208 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.85, for a total transaction of $1,448,500.80. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,748,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,441,801.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 282,099 shares of company stock valued at $8,775,093 in the last three months. Insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 168.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,725 shares in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $90,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,200 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 2,001 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $176,000 after buying an additional 2,748 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,776 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,448 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

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.