Northern Trust Corp Sells 46,669 Shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Northern Trust Corp lowered its position in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 26.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 127,986 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 46,669 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 0.91% of Willdan Group worth $4,875,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in shares of Willdan Group by 2,934.0% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 175,334 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,678,000 after purchasing an additional 169,555 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,389,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 432,135 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $16,460,000 after buying an additional 51,003 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 751,985 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,643,000 after purchasing an additional 50,262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 419,319 shares of the construction company's stock worth $15,972,000 after purchasing an additional 49,217 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of Willdan Group stock traded up $2.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.78. 268,066 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,499. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.19 and a 52 week high of $53.84. The firm has a market cap of $779.65 million, a P/E ratio of 32.99 and a beta of 1.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WLDN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wedbush raised Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 5,915 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.04, for a total transaction of $307,816.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 422,454 shares in the company, valued at $21,984,506.16. The trade was a 1.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mohammad Shahidehpour sold 2,273 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.20, for a total value of $89,101.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 12,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $500,466.40. This trade represents a 15.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 73,188 shares of company stock valued at $3,557,468 in the last 90 days. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.