Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 151,864 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 73% from the previous session’s volume of 87,850 shares.The stock last traded at $43.94 and had previously closed at $43.50.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WLDN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wedbush began coverage on Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 price objective on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Willdan Group from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Willdan Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $605.05 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.77 and a beta of 1.41. The company’s 50-day moving average is $38.15 and its 200-day moving average is $33.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $141.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,213,668.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.45, for a total transaction of $364,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,342 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,491,065.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 30,305 shares of company stock valued at $1,105,451 over the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 56.0% during the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 25,072 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $541,000 after purchasing an additional 8,997 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 16.2% during the first quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 16,703 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $484,000 after acquiring an additional 2,329 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 82.5% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 2,748 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 19.3% during the first quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 23,165 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $672,000 after acquiring an additional 3,750 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 1.6% during the first quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 135,336 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,923,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.