Swedbank AB Raises Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in Willdan Group by 36.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 47,000 shares to bring its holdings to 174,800 shares worth about $18.1 million.
• Willdan beat Q1 expectations with EPS of $0.91 versus $0.81 expected and revenue of $92.43 million, while also reporting improved year-over-year contract revenue, net revenue, and net income.
• Management raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.90-$5.05, and the stock remains supported by strong institutional ownership at 72.29% even as some traders took profits after the earnings release.

Swedbank AB grew its position in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 36.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 174,800 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 47,000 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned about 1.19% of Willdan Group worth $18,120,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,201,517 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $124,549,000 after acquiring an additional 126,247 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the second quarter valued at about $20,188,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 207.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 302,380 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,237,000 after acquiring an additional 203,912 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 35.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 214,421 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,731,000 after acquiring an additional 55,704 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 30.0% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 199,883 shares of the construction company's stock worth $19,327,000 after buying an additional 46,180 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Willdan Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Willdan Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Willdan posted Q1 EPS of $0.91, ahead of the $0.81 consensus, and revenue of $92.43 million, slightly above expectations, signaling solid operating execution. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.90-$5.05, well above the prior market view, which points to stronger earnings power ahead. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: First-quarter contract revenue, net revenue, and net income all improved year over year, with management noting normalized growth was stronger than headline results due to one fewer week in the quarter. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary highlighted expanding commercial exposure, higher-margin recurring energy management revenue from the Burton acquisition, and a healthy balance sheet that supports further M&A-driven growth. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around the Q1 earnings call and snapshot articles reinforces the earnings story, but does not add materially new information beyond the reported results. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some traders appear to be taking profits after the strong release, as one article notes the shares pulled back despite the solid results, suggesting the move may face near-term volatility. Article Title

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of WLDN opened at $88.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average of $80.66 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.89. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.56 and a 12-month high of $137.00.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $92.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $92.17 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 23.89%. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.050 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 3.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WLDN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Thursday, April 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.67.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 6,000 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.82, for a total transaction of $490,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 20,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,865.18. The trade was a 22.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

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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