UBS Group AG Trims Stock Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• UBS Group AG reduced its stake in Willdan Group by 59% in the fourth quarter, selling 62,282 shares and leaving it with 43,296 shares worth about $4.49 million.
• Willdan Group posted a strong quarterly earnings beat, reporting $0.91 EPS versus the $0.81 estimate, while revenue also slightly topped expectations at $92.43 million.
• Insider selling has been notable: CEO Michael A. Bieber and Director Steven A. Cohen sold shares, and insiders have sold 72,667 shares worth about $6.61 million over the past 90 days.

UBS Group AG cut its position in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 59.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 43,296 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 62,282 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.29% of Willdan Group worth $4,488,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new position in Willdan Group during the second quarter worth about $20,188,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,075,270 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $103,968,000 after acquiring an additional 229,357 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 207.1% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $9,742,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 2,679.9% in the 3rd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 102,301 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $9,891,000 after acquiring an additional 98,621 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of WLDN opened at $93.55 on Friday. Willdan Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.01 and a fifty-two week high of $137.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $80.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.51. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22 and a beta of 1.07. 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 (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.10. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 23.36%. The firm had revenue of $92.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.17 million. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.050 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total transaction of $5,190,388.08. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,851,499.50. This represents a 18.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.82, for a total transaction of $490,920.00. Following the sale, the director directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 72,667 shares of company stock worth $6,606,974. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WLDN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.67.

Willdan Group 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.