Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Major Shareholder Sells $1,448,500.80 in Stock

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) major shareholder Fund L.P. Forager sold 50,208 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 1,748,416 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,441,801.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Major shareholders that own more than 10% of a company’s shares are required to disclose their transactions with the SEC.

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

• On Friday, May 3rd, Fund L.P. Forager sold 86,483 shares of Willdan Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.25, for a total value of $2,702,593.75.
• On Tuesday, March 26th, Fund L.P. Forager sold 10,456 shares of Willdan Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.83, for a total value of $311,902.48.

Willdan Group Price Performance

NASDAQ WLDN opened at $31.29 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 stock has a market cap of $432.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.65 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $22.19. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $14.10 and a 52-week high of $32.66.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The construction company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $155.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.00 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 2.44% and a return on equity of 10.80%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WLDN shares. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Willdan Group from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 16th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Willdan Group by 62.6% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 5,200 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 2,001 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter worth $109,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in Willdan Group by 82.5% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 2,748 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter worth $213,000. Finally, Bailard Inc. acquired a new position in Willdan Group in the 4th quarter worth $258,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.