Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Roth Mkm raised their price target on Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wedbush initiated 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 for the company.

Willdan Group Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ:WLDN traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $41.01. 104,205 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 84,844. 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 twelve month low of $17.09 and a twelve month high of $41.54. The stock has a market cap of $566.64 million, a PE ratio of 44.10 and a beta of 1.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.31 and a 200 day moving average of $32.53.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $141.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $123.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Willdan Group will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total value of $27,345.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,188,209.96. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at $6,213,668.86. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total value of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,188,209.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 218,535 shares of company stock worth $6,739,175. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in Willdan Group by 168.3% during 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 in the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the first quarter worth approximately $90,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Willdan Group by 82.5% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $176,000 after acquiring an additional 2,748 shares during the period. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 73.6% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 2,882 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.