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

Key Points

• Short interest for Willdan Group, Inc. increased by 284.9% in July, rising from 183,500 shares to a total of 706,200 shares by July 15th.
• Wedbush analysts have reaffirmed an "outperform" rating for Willdan Group shares as of July 10th.
• Insiders, including the CEO and a director, have sold significant portions of their holdings, with a total of 100,000 shares sold in the last ninety days.

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 706,200 shares, agrowthof284.9% from the June 30th total of 183,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 219,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 219,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.2 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.50, for a total value of $505,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 38,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,944,351. The trade was a 20.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 22,459 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.34, for a total transaction of $1,175,504.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 422,454 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,111,242.36. This represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 100,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,994,075 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,218 shares of the construction company's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 4.5% during the second quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,091 shares of the construction company's stock worth $443,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 319 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in Willdan Group by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 16,494 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $628,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WLDN shares. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Tuesday.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

Shares of Willdan Group stock traded down $4.01 on Wednesday, reaching $87.20. 263,614 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 186,692. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 51.59 and a beta of 1.31. Willdan Group has a 1-year low of $30.43 and a 1-year high of $92.76. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $68.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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.