Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Shares Sold by Swedbank AB

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its holdings in Willdan Group, Inc. by 6.4% in Q2, bringing its ownership to approximately 202,300 shares valued at $12.6 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Vanguard Group and Goldman Sachs, have increased their positions in the company, indicating growing institutional interest.
• Analyst ratings for Willdan Group have improved, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and a price target averaging $111.50, reflecting positive outlooks from multiple brokerages.

Swedbank AB cut its holdings in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 6.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 202,300 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 13,900 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned approximately 1.40% of Willdan Group worth $12,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,218 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 3.9% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,526 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the period. Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 23.1% during the first quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 8,000 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 22.4% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 8,604 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $350,000 after acquiring an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in Willdan Group during the first quarter valued at about $75,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willdan Group news, Director Dennis V. Mcginn sold 7,298 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.32, for a total value of $775,923.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 11,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,204,605.60. This trade represents a 39.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total transaction of $14,268,694.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 320,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,177,144.24. The trade was a 28.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 416,439 shares of company stock valued at $44,925,389 in the last quarter. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Willdan Group Trading Down 6.8%

WLDN traded down $7.19 on Tuesday, hitting $98.51. The company had a trading volume of 405,881 shares, compared to its average volume of 247,733. The company has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a PE ratio of 40.88 and a beta of 1.30. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $30.43 and a 12-month high of $121.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $98.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.46.

Willdan Group 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.