Short Interest in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Rises By 18.4%

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 414,400 shares, a growth of 18.4% from the April 30th total of 350,000 shares. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 144,700 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 5,000 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total transaction of $266,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 72,071 shares in the company, valued at $3,839,942.88. This trade represents a 6.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 22,459 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.34, for a total value of $1,175,504.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 422,454 shares in the company, valued at $22,111,242.36. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 102,273 shares of company stock valued at $5,083,176. Insiders own 8.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Willdan Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,218 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $275,000 after buying an additional 304 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Willdan Group by 3.9% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,526 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Willdan Group by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Navellier & Associates Inc. now owns 8,154 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO. increased its holdings in Willdan Group by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 22,821 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $869,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in Willdan Group by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 16,494 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $628,000 after acquiring an additional 461 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Willdan Group Price Performance

NASDAQ WLDN opened at $55.82 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $43.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77. The company has a market cap of $809.22 million, a PE ratio of 34.25 and a beta of 1.09. Willdan Group has a 52-week low of $27.19 and a 52-week high of $56.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WLDN has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wedbush upgraded Willdan Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

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.