Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Hits New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $45.34 and last traded at $45.16, with a volume of 110362 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.94.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WLDN. Wedbush started coverage on Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 target price for the company. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $632.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.76 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 3.10%. The business had revenue of $141.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.19 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total transaction of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was 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 owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,305 shares of company stock valued at $1,105,451. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. ProShare Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 2nd quarter worth $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 168.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the first quarter worth $90,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 82.5% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 6,080 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $176,000 after purchasing an additional 2,748 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

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.