American Century Companies Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Willdan Group, Inc. by 10.6% during the first quarter, owning 28,516 shares valued at approximately $1.16 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have significantly increased their holdings, with Tower Research Capital lifting its position by 470.2% and GAMMA Investing raising theirs by 1,809.7% in the latest quarter.
• Willdan Group's stock has dropped 2.7%, currently trading at around $103.78, while analysts have set a new price target averaging $111.50 with several upgrades to "buy" ratings.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,516 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,732 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.20% of Willdan Group worth $1,161,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 470.2% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,682 shares of the construction company's stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 1,809.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the construction company's stock worth $88,000 after purchasing an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $213,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $268,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willdan Group Trading Down 4.1%

NASDAQ:WLDN traded down $4.28 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $98.86. 478,844 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 533,665. The firm's fifty day moving average is $92.15 and its 200-day moving average is $60.99. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.43 and a 12-month high of $121.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.36 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Cynthia Downes sold 2,763 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.43, for a total transaction of $302,355.09. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $974,911.87. This trade represents a 23.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total value of $290,850.00. Following the sale, the director owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 399,141 shares of company stock worth $43,089,466 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.