Lazard Asset Management LLC Has $1.80 Million Holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 54.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,336 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 16,703 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 0.34% of Willdan Group worth $1,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 751,985 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,643,000 after acquiring an additional 50,262 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 432,135 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $16,460,000 after purchasing an additional 51,003 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 419,319 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $15,972,000 after purchasing an additional 49,217 shares during the last quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Willdan Group by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 365,153 shares of the construction company's stock worth $13,909,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Willdan Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 296,398 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,293,000 after buying an additional 1,601 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WLDN. Wedbush raised Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of WLDN stock traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $51.06. 22,784 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 134,788. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.19 and a 52 week high of $52.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $740.14 million, a P/E ratio of 31.56 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $41.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.11, for a total value of $1,202,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 200,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,669,195.91. The trade was a 11.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.20, for a total value of $482,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,796.40. This represents a 20.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,273 shares of company stock worth $3,249,652 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

Willdan Group Profile

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.