Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Position Increased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors increased its Willdan Group stake by 7.5% in the first quarter to 308,947 shares, worth approximately $23.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.29% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: WLDN has an overall “Hold” rating with a consensus price target of $117.50, while CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares for approximately $5.19 million.
• Willdan reported quarterly EPS of $0.91, beating estimates of $0.81, on revenue of $92.43 million. The stock opened at $73.69, well below its 12-month high of $137.00.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 7.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 308,947 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 21,669 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.06% of Willdan Group worth $23,652,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WLDN. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 29,200 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,236,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 216,429 shares of the construction company's stock worth $17,098,000 after acquiring an additional 37,624 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 10.5% in the 1st quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 12,480 shares of the construction company's stock worth $955,000 after acquiring an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Willdan Group by 88.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 35,914 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,750,000 after purchasing an additional 16,812 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Willdan Group by 67.0% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 763 shares of the construction company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 306 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total transaction of $5,190,388.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,851,499.50. The trade was a 18.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WLDN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Willdan Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $117.50.

Willdan Group Price Performance

WLDN opened at $73.69 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $81.40 and a 200-day moving average of $89.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 1.14. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $64.67 and a 12-month high of $137.00. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $92.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.17 million. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 23.36% and a net margin of 8.24%. Equities analysts forecast that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Willdan Group

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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