Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Grows Stake in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 13.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 419,319 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 49,217 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 2.97% of Willdan Group worth $15,972,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Willdan Group by 245.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,301 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 12,297 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Willdan Group by 82.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 76,586 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,136,000 after purchasing an additional 34,699 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Willdan Group by 83.9% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,927 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 6,353 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Willdan Group by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 18,673 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 4,049 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC grew its stake in Willdan Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 21,390 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mohammad Shahidehpour sold 2,273 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.20, for a total transaction of $89,101.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,767 shares in the company, valued at $500,466.40. This trade represents a 15.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Willdan Group Trading Up 6.1%

WLDN traded up $2.60 on Monday, hitting $45.00. 189,897 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 131,183. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 1.77. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.19 and a 12 month high of $50.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $652.37 million, a PE ratio of 27.61 and a beta of 1.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WLDN. Wedbush raised Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com cut Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th.

Willdan Group Company 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.