Weiss Ratings Reaffirms Buy (B-) Rating for Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Key Points

• Willdan Group has received a reaffirmed "buy (B-)" rating from Weiss Ratings, indicating continued confidence in its stock performance.
• Multiple research firms have increased their ratings and price targets for Willdan Group, with Roth Capital setting a new target at $103.00 and Wedbush at $120.00.
• Insider trading activity has increased, with significant sales by CFO Creighton K. Early and Director Thomas Donald Brisbin, reflecting a 28.86% decrease in Brisbin's ownership following the transaction.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b-)" rating reiterated by equities researchers at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WLDN. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $111.50.

Willdan Group Trading Up 3.4%

NASDAQ:WLDN traded up $3.14 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $95.01. The stock had a trading volume of 208,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 250,773. Willdan Group has a one year low of $30.43 and a one year high of $121.00. 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 $1.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.75 and a beta of 1.25. The business's 50 day moving average is $101.99 and its 200-day moving average is $70.39.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In other news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 7,764 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total value of $904,816.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 72,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,399,154.34. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director owned 320,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,177,144.24. This represents a 28.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 416,439 shares of company stock valued at $44,925,389 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,000. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the 1st quarter valued at $75,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $80,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 1,809.7% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,158 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 2,045 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.