Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Short Interest Up 284.9% in July

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 significant increase in short interest in July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 706,200 shares, anincreaseof284.9% 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Thursday, July 10th.

Willdan Group Stock Down 1.5%

WLDN stock opened at $84.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.70 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.61. The business's 50-day moving average is $66.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $48.59. Willdan Group has a fifty-two week low of $30.43 and a fifty-two week high of $86.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 22,459 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.34, for a total value of $1,175,504.06. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 422,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,111,242.36. This trade represents a 5.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.11, for a total value of $1,202,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 200,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,669,195.91. This trade represents a 11.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 100,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,994,075. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 3.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 774,212 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,526,000 after acquiring an additional 22,227 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its stake in Willdan Group by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 432,135 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $16,460,000 after purchasing an additional 51,003 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Willdan Group by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 419,319 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $15,972,000 after purchasing an additional 49,217 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Willdan Group by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 296,398 shares of the construction company's stock worth $11,293,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,313,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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