Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 22,227 Shares of Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Willdan Group, acquiring an additional 22,227 shares, bringing its ownership to approximately 774,212 shares, valued at $31.5 million.
• The stock price of Willdan Group has seen fluctuations, currently opening at $116.26, with a market cap of $1.70 billion.
• Several hedge funds are actively managing their positions in Willdan Group, with over 72% of shares now owned by institutional investors.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 3.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 774,212 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,227 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 5.34% of Willdan Group worth $31,526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Willdan Group by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 419,319 shares of the construction company's stock worth $15,972,000 after acquiring an additional 49,217 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 136.0% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 208,059 shares of the construction company's stock worth $7,925,000 after purchasing an additional 119,888 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 77.3% during the first 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 during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 156,545 shares of the construction company's stock worth $5,963,000 after purchasing an additional 11,806 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the first quarter worth $4,687,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cynthia Downes sold 2,763 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.43, for a total value of $302,355.09. Following the sale, the director directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total value of $290,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,123,612.66. This trade represents a 8.52% 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. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Willdan Group Trading Down 5.4%

WLDN stock traded down $6.32 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $109.86. 359,475 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 582,463. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $87.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of 45.97 and a beta of 1.30. Willdan Group, Inc. has a one year low of $30.43 and a one year high of $121.00.

Willdan Group Company 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.