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

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 320,400 shares, a decrease of 19.1% from the December 15th total of 396,100 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 163,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com lowered Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in Willdan Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $15,608,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 14.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 324,145 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,351,000 after acquiring an additional 41,367 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Willdan Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 294,797 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,075,000 after acquiring an additional 1,514 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 240,265 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,839,000 after purchasing an additional 6,178 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in Willdan Group by 0.3% during the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 155,761 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,378,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of WLDN stock opened at $38.09 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $40.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.23. Willdan Group has a one year low of $18.15 and a one year high of $50.00. The stock has a market cap of $537.83 million, a P/E ratio of 23.37 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

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.