Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $58.28 and last traded at $57.71, with a volume of 44208 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.82.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WLDN. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Wedbush upgraded shares of Willdan Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th.

Willdan Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $855.07 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.89 and a beta of 1.23. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $47.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 25,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.11, for a total transaction of $1,202,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 200,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,669,195.91. This trade represents a 11.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.54, for a total transaction of $970,800.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 422,454 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,505,917.16. This represents a 4.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 100,000 shares of company stock worth $4,994,075. 8.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Willdan Group by 3.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 774,212 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,526,000 after purchasing an additional 22,227 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in shares of Willdan Group by 13.4% in the fourth 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 grew its position in shares of Willdan Group by 13.3% in the fourth 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. Summit Creek Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Willdan Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 365,153 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $13,909,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Willdan Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 296,398 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,293,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

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.