Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Given Outperform Rating at Wedbush

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by equities researchers at Wedbush in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $35.00 target price on the construction company’s stock. Wedbush’s target price suggests a potential upside of 5.80% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also commented on WLDN. StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price target (up previously from $27.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Friday, March 22nd.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ WLDN opened at $33.08 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $457.17 million, a PE ratio of 35.57 and a beta of 1.47. Willdan Group has a 52-week low of $15.42 and a 52-week high of $33.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.39.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The construction company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.35 by $0.37. Willdan Group had a net margin of 2.44% and a return on equity of 10.80%. The company had revenue of $155.68 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $160.00 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Willdan Group will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In related news, major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 50,208 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.85, for a total transaction of $1,448,500.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,748,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,441,801.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 147,147 shares of company stock worth $4,462,997. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 55,823 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,618,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 0.7% in the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 164,272 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,356,000 after acquiring an additional 1,199 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Willdan Group by 27.2% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,776 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $146,000 after purchasing an additional 1,448 shares during the period. Summit Creek Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 382,803 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 62.6% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,200 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $106,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.