Principal Financial Group Inc. Makes New $308,000 Investment in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,530 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $308,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Willdan Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. nVerses Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 125.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $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 in the third quarter worth $44,000. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the second quarter worth $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 168.3% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 73.6% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 2,882 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 1,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.86, for a total value of $82,731.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 173,654 shares in the company, valued at $7,963,772.44. This represents a 1.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Willdan Group Trading Up 2.1 %

Willdan Group stock opened at $42.66 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $43.15 and a 200 day moving average of $36.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $602.36 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.17 and a beta of 1.39. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $17.23 and a 12-month high of $50.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WLDN. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. 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 research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Willdan Group 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.