Man Group plc Acquires 20,530 Shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Man Group plc increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 180.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,924 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,530 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.23% of Willdan Group worth $1,216,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Willdan Group by 83.9% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,927 shares of the construction company's stock worth $530,000 after buying an additional 6,353 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Willdan Group by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 18,673 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 4,049 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC increased its stake in Willdan Group by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 21,390 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in Willdan Group by 341.2% in the fourth quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 37,910 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 29,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Willdan Group by 23.2% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 89,354 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,397,000 after purchasing an additional 16,832 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of WLDN stock traded down $0.26 during trading on Thursday, reaching $53.85. 34,992 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 136,805. The company has a market capitalization of $780.66 million, a P/E ratio of 33.10 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm's 50-day moving average is $42.13 and its 200 day moving average is $39.75. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $27.19 and a 1 year high of $55.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 1,626 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.54, for a total value of $83,804.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 422,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,773,279.16. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mohammad Shahidehpour sold 2,273 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.20, for a total transaction of $89,101.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 12,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $500,466.40. This represents a 15.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 74,814 shares of company stock valued at $3,641,272 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

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.