Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. has reduced its holding in Willdan Group, Inc. by 27.6%, selling 16,025 shares during the first quarter, thus owning approximately 42,022 shares valued at $1,711,000.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Nuveen LLC and Invesco Ltd., have recently increased their stakes in Willdan Group, indicating growing interest in the company.
• Analysts have set new price targets for Willdan Group, with Roth Capital raising its target to $103.00 and Wedbush to $120.00, reflecting a positive outlook on the company's performance.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its stake in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 27.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,022 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 16,025 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.29% of Willdan Group worth $1,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 77.3% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 158,401 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,468,000 after purchasing an additional 69,047 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Willdan Group by 136.0% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 208,059 shares of the construction company's stock worth $7,925,000 after buying an additional 119,888 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Willdan Group by 193.1% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,627 shares of the construction company's stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 6,342 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in Willdan Group by 358.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 34,935 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,331,000 after buying an additional 27,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Willdan Group by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 24,002 shares of the construction company's stock worth $977,000 after buying an additional 6,125 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In related news, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total transaction of $290,850.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,123,612.66. This trade represents a 8.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Wanda Kay Reder sold 850 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.46, for a total transaction of $101,541.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,275,354.96. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 399,141 shares of company stock valued at $43,089,466. 8.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willdan Group Trading Down 5.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN traded down $6.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $109.86. 359,475 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 595,629. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of 45.97 and a beta of 1.31. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $87.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.38. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.43 and a 12-month high of $121.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

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.