Invesco Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Invesco Ltd. significantly increased its position in Willdan Group, Inc. by 277.7% during Q1, acquiring a total of 85,515 shares valued at approximately $3.48 million.
• Insider trading activity includes Director Cynthia Downes selling 2,763 shares and Director Steven A. Cohen selling 2,500 shares, contributing to a total of 399,141 shares sold by insiders in the last ninety days.
• Analysts have recently upgraded their ratings for Willdan Group, with a consensus target price now set at $111.50 and multiple firms recommending "buy" ratings.

Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 277.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,515 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 62,874 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.59% of Willdan Group worth $3,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in Willdan Group by 470.2% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,682 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 1,387 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 1,809.7% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew 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 purchasing an additional 542 shares during the period. Aquatic Capital Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 510 shares during the period. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the fourth quarter worth about $213,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WLDN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price target on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Willdan Group currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $111.50.

Willdan Group Trading Down 4.2%

Shares of WLDN stock traded down $4.49 on Wednesday, hitting $102.19. 243,657 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 231,314. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. Willdan Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.43 and a twelve month high of $121.00. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $89.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of 42.74 and a beta of 1.31.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 7,764 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total transaction of $904,816.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 72,071 shares in the company, valued at $8,399,154.34. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Wanda Kay Reder sold 850 shares of Willdan Group 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 sale, the director directly owned 10,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,275,354.96. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 399,141 shares of company stock worth $43,089,466 over the last ninety days. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.