Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) saw a significant 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 daily trading volume, of 173,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Willdan Group Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Willdan Group stock opened at $38.41 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77. Willdan Group has a 52-week low of $17.23 and a 52-week high of $50.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $42.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $542.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.56 and a beta of 1.36.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on WLDN. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 1,804 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.86, for a total transaction of $82,731.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 173,654 shares in the company, valued at $7,963,772.44. The trade was a 1.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 7,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.69, for a total transaction of $321,013.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 422,104 shares in the company, valued at $17,597,515.76. The trade was a 1.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,787 shares of company stock worth $936,061. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. nVerses Capital LLC boosted its position in Willdan Group by 125.0% during the 3rd quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 343.6% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,935 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $161,000 after purchasing an additional 3,048 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

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.