AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 37,978 Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 37,978 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,096,000. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.27% of Willdan Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WLDN. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC raised its position in Willdan Group by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 10,328 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Willdan Group by 52.9% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 78,110 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,253,000 after acquiring an additional 27,009 shares during the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the second quarter valued at $235,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the second quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 339.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 55,426 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,599,000 after acquiring an additional 42,826 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

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

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of WLDN opened at $43.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $604.09 million, a P/E ratio of 35.11 and a beta of 1.41. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.09 and a 1 year high of $45.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $38.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WLDN shares. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their target price on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd.

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.