Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Willdan Group's stock reached a new 52-week high at $82.99, closing at $81.66 with a trading volume of 5,333 shares.
• Analysts from Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on Willdan Group shares, indicating positive sentiment towards the company.
• Insider trading activity revealed that both the CEO and CFO sold shares recently, decreasing their ownership stakes in the company by 11.06% and 6.49%, respectively.

Shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $82.99 and last traded at $81.66, with a volume of 5333 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $82.04.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Willdan Group Trading Up 3.2%

The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.47 and a beta of 1.25. The stock's 50 day moving average is $64.86 and its 200-day moving average is $47.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Insider Activity

In other Willdan Group news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total transaction of $266,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 72,071 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,839,942.88. This represents a 6.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.20, for a total transaction of $482,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,796.40. This represents a 20.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 100,000 shares of company stock worth $4,994,075. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 3.0% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 0.5% during 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. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 1st quarter valued at about $10,313,000. Institutional investors 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.