Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Shares Gap Up to $41.12

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $41.12, but opened at $43.69. Willdan Group shares last traded at $43.69, with a volume of 1,432 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WLDN shares. Wedbush initiated coverage on Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com raised Willdan Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their target price on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd.

Willdan Group Stock Down 1.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $569.67 million, a PE ratio of 46.98 and a beta of 1.40. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $36.29 and a 200 day moving average of $31.58.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The business had revenue of $141.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $123.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.19 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In other news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.93, for a total value of $5,633,723.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,255,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,585,046.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 188,230 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,255,765 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,585,046.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the company’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 218,535 shares of company stock valued at $6,739,175 in the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLDN. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willdan Group during the second quarter worth about $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings 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 during the period. EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $90,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Willdan Group by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 2,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 73.6% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 2,882 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.