Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Reaches New 52-Week High - Here's What Happened

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $73.55 and last traded at $73.26, with a volume of 584430 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $72.30.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

Willdan Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $1.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.70 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company's 50-day moving average is $55.04 and its 200-day moving average is $43.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total transaction of $266,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 72,071 shares in the company, valued at $3,839,942.88. This trade represents a 6.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 200,981 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,669,195.91. This represents a 11.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 100,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,994,075. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Willdan Group by 3.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 774,212 shares of the construction company's stock worth $31,526,000 after buying an additional 22,227 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position 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 worth $16,460,000 after acquiring an additional 51,003 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position 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 worth $15,972,000 after acquiring an additional 49,217 shares during the last quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Willdan Group by 1.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $11,293,000 after purchasing an additional 1,601 shares during the last quarter. 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.