Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Shares Acquired by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its stake in Willdan Group, Inc. by 42.4% in Q1, owning 46,393 shares valued at approximately $1.89 million.
• Insider transactions included Director Thomas Donald Brisbin selling 22,459 shares for over $1.17 million, reducing his ownership by 5.05%.
• Analysts have issued positive reports on Willdan Group, with Roth Capital raising their price target to $103 and Wedbush to $120, indicating strong expected performance.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 42.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,393 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 13,819 shares during the quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.32% of Willdan Group worth $1,889,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 470.2% in the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,682 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 1,387 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 1,809.7% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,597 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $213,000. Finally, Aquatic Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC now owns 5,410 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $206,000 after buying an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willdan Group Trading Up 3.0%

NASDAQ:WLDN traded up $3.09 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $106.27. The company had a trading volume of 460,142 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,623. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a 50-day moving average of $80.95 and a 200 day moving average of $55.10. The company has a market cap of $1.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.46 and a beta of 1.31. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.43 and a 1 year high of $121.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wedbush boosted their price target on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willdan Group news, Director Cynthia Downes sold 2,763 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.43, for a total value of $302,355.09. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,909 shares in the company, valued at $974,911.87. This represents a 23.67% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total value of $290,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,123,612.66. The trade was a 8.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 180,449 shares of company stock worth $18,165,492 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 8.60% 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.