Strs Ohio Makes New Investment in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Strs Ohio made a new investment in Willdan Group, acquiring 8,200 shares valued at approximately $334,000, representing 0.06% of the company.
• Other major investors, including Goldman Sachs, have also increased their holdings significantly, with Goldman Sachs owning 214,421 shares valued at $8.7 million.
• Recent analyst ratings have improved, with Zacks upgrading Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" and an average target price of $111.50 being established.

Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,200 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $334,000. Strs Ohio owned 0.06% of Willdan Group as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Willdan Group by 205.9% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,302 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,030,000 after purchasing an additional 17,031 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in Willdan Group during the 1st quarter valued at $75,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the 1st quarter valued at $203,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 214,421 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,731,000 after buying an additional 55,704 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,530 shares of the construction company's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 312 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Willdan Group news, Director Cynthia Downes sold 2,763 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.43, for a total transaction of $302,355.09. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,909 shares in the company, valued at $974,911.87. The trade was a 23.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $1,060,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 40,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,284,838. This represents a 19.83% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 416,439 shares of company stock worth $44,925,389. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WLDN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. 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. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on shares of Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $111.50.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Willdan Group stock opened at $98.03 on Wednesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $99.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The company has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 41.02 and a beta of 1.30. Willdan Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $30.43 and a twelve month high of $121.00.

About Willdan Group

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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