Nuveen LLC Takes Position 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 acquired a new stake in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 253,264 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $10,313,000. Nuveen LLC owned approximately 1.75% of Willdan Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 277.7% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 85,515 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,482,000 after purchasing an additional 62,874 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 42.4% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 46,393 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,889,000 after purchasing an additional 13,819 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 3.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 774,212 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,526,000 after purchasing an additional 22,227 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 193.1% in the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,627 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 6,342 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 22.4% in the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 8,604 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WLDN. Wedbush lifted their target price on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price target (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $111.50.

Willdan Group Stock Up 4.6%

Willdan Group stock opened at $111.11 on Friday. Willdan Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $30.43 and a fifty-two week high of $121.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.49 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.63.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total transaction of $14,268,694.58. Following the transaction, the director owned 320,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,177,144.24. The trade was a 28.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the director owned 26,849 shares in the company, valued at $3,123,612.66. The trade was a 8.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 178,823 shares of company stock worth $18,081,688 over the last three months. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.

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