4,993 Shares in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Purchased by MBB Public Markets I LLC

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC has acquired 4,993 shares of Willdan Group, Inc. for approximately $203,000 in the first quarter.
• Institutional investors own 72.29% of Willdan Group's stock, with notable increases in holdings from firms like Vanguard Group Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
• Wall Street analysts have given Willdan Group a consensus rating of "Buy" with an average price target of $111.50, indicating expected growth.

MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,993 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Willdan Group by 35.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 214,421 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,731,000 after buying an additional 55,704 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 4.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,530 shares of the construction company's stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 312 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 3.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 76,990 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,134,000 after purchasing an additional 2,386 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 27.2% in the first quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 109,096 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,442,000 after purchasing an additional 23,314 shares during the period. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the first quarter worth approximately $460,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WLDN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush upped their price target 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. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 5,182 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.15, for a total value of $612,253.30. Following the transaction, the director owned 70,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,352,732.40. This trade represents a 6.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 7,764 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total transaction of $904,816.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 72,071 shares in the company, valued at $8,399,154.34. This represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 399,141 shares of company stock valued at $43,089,466. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Willdan Group Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of WLDN traded up $1.84 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $102.42. The stock had a trading volume of 47,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 242,980. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $30.43 and a 1 year high of $121.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of 43.00 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The stock's 50 day moving average is $96.35 and its 200 day moving average is $64.26.

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.