Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Major Shareholder Fund L.P. Forager Sells 86,483 Shares

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 86,483 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total value of $2,702,593.75. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,641,258 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,289,312.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Fund L.P. Forager also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, May 1st, Fund L.P. Forager sold 50,208 shares of Willdan Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.85, for a total value of $1,448,500.80.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Fund L.P. Forager sold 10,456 shares of Willdan Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.83, for a total value of $311,902.48.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $31.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $432.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.50 and a 200 day moving average of $22.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $14.10 and a 1-year high of $32.66.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.37. Willdan Group had a net margin of 2.44% and a return on equity of 10.80%. The firm had revenue of $155.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.00 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WLDN. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Willdan Group from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 25th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 price objective (up previously from $27.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 16th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Summit Creek Advisors LLC lifted its position in Willdan Group by 0.4% in the third quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 382,803 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,587 shares during the last quarter. Rock Point Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Rock Point Advisors LLC now owns 329,475 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,084,000 after buying an additional 4,464 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Willdan Group by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 164,272 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,356,000 after buying an additional 1,199 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC boosted its position in Willdan Group by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 135,336 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,923,000 after buying an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Finally, EAM Investors LLC purchased a new stake in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,183,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.