Nuveen LLC Acquires New Stake in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC acquired a stake in Willdan Group, Inc. worth approximately $10.3 million, owning about 1.75% of the company as of the end of the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors significantly increased their holdings in Willdan Group, with Invesco Ltd. boosting its stake by 277.7% during the same period.
• Willdan Group stock has been rated as a "Buy" by multiple analysts, with a recent price target increase to $120.00 by Wedbush and $103.00 by Roth Capital.

Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 253,264 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $10,313,000. Nuveen LLC owned 1.75% of Willdan Group at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,877 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $681,000 after acquiring an additional 4,375 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 26.4% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,597 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 542 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in Willdan Group by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,924 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $873,000 after purchasing an additional 5,623 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Willdan Group by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 156,545 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,963,000 after purchasing an additional 11,806 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Willdan Group by 13.3% during 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. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total value of $14,268,694.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 320,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,177,144.24. This represents a 28.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total value of $290,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,123,612.66. This represents a 8.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 399,141 shares of company stock worth $43,089,466. 8.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on WLDN shares. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wedbush upped their price target on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Willdan Group Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN traded down $0.08 during trading on Thursday, hitting $116.18. The stock had a trading volume of 400,277 shares, compared to its average volume of 593,973. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $30.43 and a 12 month high of $121.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a PE ratio of 48.61 and a beta of 1.31. The firm's fifty day moving average is $86.70 and its 200 day moving average is $57.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

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.