Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (NASDAQ:GLDD) Lowered to “Market Perform” Rating by Noble Financial

Noble Financial cut shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (NASDAQ:GLDD) from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report report published on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on GLDD. CJS Securities upgraded Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.00.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GLDD opened at $16.95 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.65. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock has a one year low of $7.51 and a one year high of $16.99. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Great Lakes Dredge & Dock news, SVP David Johanson sold 2,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.96, for a total transaction of $29,316.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 91,963 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,283,803.48. The trade was a 2.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 2.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,058,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock during the third quarter worth about $696,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,227,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock in the second quarter valued at approximately $442,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Great Lakes Dredge & Dock by 99.2% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 494,033 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,884,000 after acquiring an additional 246,007 shares during the period. 89.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Here are the key news stories impacting Great Lakes Dredge & Dock this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Saltchuk agreed to acquire GLDD in an all-cash transaction valuing the company at roughly $1.2B equity ($1.5B total transaction) with a $17.00 per-share tender offer — a clear takeover premium driving buying interest. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock to Join the Saltchuk Family of Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Media reports and market headlines show the stock jumping on the deal announcement, reinforcing momentum as investors price toward the $17 offer level. Saltchuk Acquires GLDD for $1.5B
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large call-option buying (over 7,000 calls) indicates speculative/hedged bullish bets ahead of deal-close or related news — this can amplify intraday moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: GLDD is set to report Q4 and full-year 2025 results; analysts note strong backlog/demand for dredging but warn margins could face pressure from dry-docking costs — earnings may affect deal timing or investor sentiment. Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The company scheduled its Q4/2025 results release — investors will watch any commentary on backlog, margins and deal progress. Earnings Date Scheduled
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest posts in the feed show 0 shares (likely a reporting/data anomaly) and an effectively 0-day ratio — not meaningful for positioning now.
• Negative Sentiment: Several shareholder-law firms (Johnson Fistel, Halper Sadeh, Ademi, Monteverde, Wohl & Fruchter and others) launched investigations into whether the $17 offer is fair and whether the board met fiduciary duties — potential litigation or deal renegotiation could delay or alter the transaction and create downside risk. Johnson Fistel Investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Noble Financial downgraded GLDD from Outperform to Market Perform — a modest analyst headwind that could temper rally if other firms follow. Noble Downgrade

About Great Lakes Dredge & Dock

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (NASDAQ: GLDD) is a leading provider of dredging and maritime construction services in the United States. The company specializes in the excavation and removal of sediment from waterways, harbors, ports and coastal areas to maintain navigability and support commercial shipping. Its operations encompass both maintenance dredging—removing accumulated material to restore channel depth—and new work projects such as land reclamation and harbor deepening.

In addition to traditional dredging, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock offers a range of complementary marine construction services.