Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Short Interest Update

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 414,400 shares, an increase of 18.4% from the April 30th total of 350,000 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 144,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.9 days.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In other news, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.20, for a total value of $482,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 38,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,855,796.40. This represents a 20.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Mohammad Shahidehpour sold 2,273 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.20, for a total value of $89,101.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 12,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $500,466.40. This trade represents a 15.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 102,273 shares of company stock worth $5,083,176 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $334,000. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 205.9% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 25,302 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,030,000 after buying an additional 17,031 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $75,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the first quarter worth $203,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Willdan Group by 35.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 214,421 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,731,000 after acquiring an additional 55,704 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Wedbush upgraded Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th.

Willdan Group Stock Down 2.0%

NASDAQ WLDN traded down $1.15 on Thursday, hitting $55.68. 148,891 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 139,908. Willdan Group has a fifty-two week low of $27.19 and a fifty-two week high of $57.11. The company has a market cap of $807.19 million, a PE ratio of 34.16 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $43.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $40.13.

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.