Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC Lowers Stock Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC reduced its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. by 32.4% in the first quarter, leaving it with approximately 0.40% of the company's stock valued at $2.37 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Nuveen LLC and Pacer Advisors Inc., increased their stakes in Willdan Group, reflecting strong institutional interest, with institutional investors owning 72.29% of the stock.
• Wall Street analysts have recently raised their price targets for Willdan Group, with Wedbush increasing its target from $85.00 to $120.00 and maintaining an "outperform" rating.

Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 32.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,383 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 27,988 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC owned approximately 0.40% of Willdan Group worth $2,377,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WLDN. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $10,313,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 136.0% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 208,059 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $7,925,000 after acquiring an additional 119,888 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 1st quarter worth $4,687,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 77.3% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 158,401 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,468,000 after purchasing an additional 69,047 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 277.7% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 85,515 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,482,000 after purchasing an additional 62,874 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WLDN opened at $98.86 on Friday. 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's 50-day moving average price is $92.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.99. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $30.43 and a 52 week high of $121.00. The stock has a market cap of $1.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.36 and a beta of 1.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Wanda Kay Reder sold 850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.46, for a total transaction of $101,541.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,275,354.96. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 26,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,123,612.66. The trade was a 8.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 399,141 shares of company stock valued at $43,089,466. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Willdan Group has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.50.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WLDN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.