Gabelli Funds LLC Has $204,000 Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC reduced its holdings in Willdan Group by 37.5%, now owning 5,000 shares worth $204,000.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their stakes in Willdan Group, including Tower Research Capital, which grew its position by 470.2%.
• Wall Street analysts have given Willdan Group a consensus rating of “Buy” and raised the price target to $111.50, up from previous estimates.

Gabelli Funds LLC cut its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 37.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,000 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 3,000 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Willdan Group were worth $204,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WLDN. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the first quarter valued at about $10,313,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Willdan Group during the first quarter worth about $4,687,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in Willdan Group by 77.3% during the first 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. lifted its position in Willdan Group by 277.7% during the first 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 currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 7,764 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $904,816.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 72,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,399,154.34. This represents a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 transaction, the director directly owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,123,612.66. This represents a 8.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 399,141 shares of company stock valued at $43,089,466. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of WLDN stock traded down $4.28 on Friday, reaching $98.86. The company had a trading volume of 478,844 shares, compared to its average volume of 533,665. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a PE ratio of 41.36 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. Willdan Group, Inc. has a one year low of $30.43 and a one year high of $121.00. The business's 50-day moving average is $92.15 and its 200 day moving average is $60.80.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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.