StockNews.com Downgrades Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) to Buy

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock.

Willdan Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $43.59 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $38.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $33.15. The company has a market capitalization of $602.28 million, a P/E ratio of 46.87 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.81. Willdan Group has a 1 year low of $17.09 and a 1 year high of $45.25.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firm had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.19 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Willdan Group will post 1.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total transaction of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at $6,213,668.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 30,305 shares of company stock worth $1,105,451 in the last three months. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quadrature Capital Ltd lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 56.0% in the fourth quarter. Quadrature Capital Ltd now owns 25,072 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 8,997 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 16.2% during the 1st quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 16,703 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $484,000 after acquiring an additional 2,329 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,748 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. grew its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 19.3% during the 1st quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 23,165 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the period. Finally, Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its position in Willdan Group by 1.6% in the first quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 135,336 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.