Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its Willdan Group stake by 88% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 35,914 shares valued at approximately $2.75 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.29% of WLDN.
• Willdan CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares for about $5.19 million, reducing his direct stake by 18.51%; insiders own 5.60% of the company.
• Willdan exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with $0.91 in EPS versus the $0.81 consensus and $92.43 million in revenue. Despite shares opening at $67.71—near the 52-week low—analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with a $112.67 target price.

Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 88.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,914 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,812 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.24% of Willdan Group worth $2,750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Willdan Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 203.3% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the construction company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In other news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total value of $5,190,388.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,851,499.50. The trade was a 18.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Willdan Group Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WLDN opened at $67.71 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $83.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.19. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.25 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.67 and a 52-week high of $137.00.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.10. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 23.36% and a net margin of 8.24%.The company had revenue of $92.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.17 million. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.050 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WLDN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.67.

Willdan Group Company Profile

Willdan Group, Inc provides energy efficiency, infrastructure engineering, and technical consulting services to a diverse range of public and private sector clients. The company works with utilities, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and commercial enterprises to design, implement, and manage programs that promote sustainable energy use, grid modernization, and resilient infrastructure. Willdan's offerings span program design and implementation, energy audits, measurement and verification, and project management for both new construction and retrofit initiatives.

Core services include energy advisory and engineering solutions, including feasibility studies, facility commissioning and retro-commissioning, $0 down financing for energy projects, and demand response program development.

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