Handelsbanken Fonder AB Raises Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Willdan Group by 53.8% in the fourth quarter, holding 199,671 shares valued at about $20.7 million at quarter-end. Other major institutional investors, including Vanguard and Two Sigma, also increased their positions.
• Willdan Group reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $0.91 EPS versus the $0.81 consensus estimate and revenue of $92.43 million, slightly above expectations. The company also guided FY 2026 EPS to a range of 4.90 to 5.05.
• The stock rose 4.4% to $92.60, while analysts currently rate it a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $112.67. However, insider selling has been notable, including recent sales by the CEO and a director.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 53.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 199,671 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 69,835 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 1.35% of Willdan Group worth $20,698,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 11.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,201,517 shares of the construction company's stock worth $124,549,000 after purchasing an additional 126,247 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $20,188,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 207.1% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 302,380 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,237,000 after purchasing an additional 203,912 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 214,421 shares of the construction company's stock worth $8,731,000 after purchasing an additional 55,704 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 199,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $19,327,000 after purchasing an additional 46,180 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Willdan Group Stock Up 4.4%

WLDN opened at $92.60 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $80.42 and a 200 day moving average of $98.58. The company has a market cap of $1.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.96 and a beta of 1.07. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $49.74 and a 12 month high of $137.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $92.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.17 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 23.36%. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.050 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 3.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.82, for a total value of $490,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 20,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,705,865.18. This trade represents a 22.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total transaction of $5,190,388.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,851,499.50. The trade was a 18.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 72,667 shares of company stock valued at $6,606,974. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WLDN. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Willdan Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.67.

Willdan Group Profile

Willdan Group, Inc provides energy efficiency, infrastructure engineering, and technical consulting services to a diverse range of public and private sector clients. The company works with utilities, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and commercial enterprises to design, implement, and manage programs that promote sustainable energy use, grid modernization, and resilient infrastructure. Willdan's offerings span program design and implementation, energy audits, measurement and verification, and project management for both new construction and retrofit initiatives.

Core services include energy advisory and engineering solutions, including feasibility studies, facility commissioning and retro-commissioning, $0 down financing for energy projects, and demand response program development.

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