Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Stock Moved Down to "Hold" by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Willdan Group from “buy” to “hold.” Despite the downgrade and a similar move by Zacks Research, the consensus rating remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $118.33.
• Willdan reported quarterly earnings of $1.20 per share, beating the $1.08 consensus estimate; revenue was $214.53 million.
• Company insiders sold 67,101 shares worth about $5.87 million over the past three months; insiders own 5.6% of the company.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

WLDN has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, November 5th. Yorkville Ives assumed coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $118.33.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of Willdan Group stock opened at $70.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.34. Willdan Group has a 52 week low of $61.51 and a 52 week high of $137.00.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The construction company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $214.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $107.77 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.19% and a return on equity of 22.62%. Sell-side analysts expect that Willdan Group will post 4.06 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In related news, Director Thomas Brisbin sold 4,905 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.36, for a total transaction of $389,260.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 96,687 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,673,080.32. The trade was a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 67,101 shares of company stock worth $5,871,388 over the last three months. Insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $113,795,000. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the second quarter worth $41,939,611. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 40.9% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 550,651 shares of the construction company's stock worth $40,572,000 after purchasing an additional 159,931 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 7.5% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 308,947 shares of the construction company's stock worth $23,652,000 after purchasing an additional 21,669 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 20.7% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 286,858 shares of the construction company's stock worth $21,962,000 after purchasing an additional 49,161 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willdan Group Company Profile

Willdan Group, Inc. provides professional, technical and consulting services to utilities, government agencies and private-sector clients. Its work includes energy-efficiency programs, energy engineering, grid modernization and planning, and support for decarbonization and other energy initiatives. The company also offers engineering, planning and building-related services, as well as financial and economic consulting for public agencies. Its services can support projects ranging from infrastructure and community planning to building safety and energy management.

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