D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Sells 41,518 Shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 68.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,839 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 41,518 shares during the quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned 0.13% of Willdan Group worth $718,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 358.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 34,935 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,331,000 after acquiring an additional 27,308 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 40.9% in the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 86,371 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,290,000 after purchasing an additional 25,061 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the fourth quarter worth $607,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 116.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 21,843 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $832,000 after buying an additional 11,770 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 91,269 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,476,000 after purchasing an additional 29,169 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.20, for a total value of $482,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,796.40. This trade represents a 20.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 5,000 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total value of $266,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 72,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,839,942.88. The trade was a 6.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 102,273 shares of company stock valued at $5,083,176 over the last 90 days. 9.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Willdan Group Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WLDN stock traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $53.70. 209,012 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 137,871. Willdan Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $27.19 and a fifty-two week high of $54.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $778.49 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.94 and a beta of 1.09.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WLDN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Wedbush upgraded Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

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.