Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Here's Why

Key Points

• Willdan Group saw a 1% increase in trading volume with 213,665 shares traded, while the stock price dropped from $113.01 to $108.68.
• Analysts have revised their ratings on Willdan Group, with Roth Capital increasing its price target to $103.00 and Wedbush raising it to $120.00, both maintaining buy and outperform ratings.
• Insider transactions included CFO Creighton K. Early selling 7,764 shares and Director Steven A. Cohen selling 2,500 shares, indicating a decrease in their stakes in the company.

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 213,665 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 1% from the previous session's volume of 211,551 shares.The stock last traded at $108.68 and had previously closed at $113.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on WLDN shares. Roth Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wedbush boosted their price target on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th.

Willdan Group Trading Down 2.5%

The company has a market cap of $1.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.04 and a beta of 1.31. The company's fifty day moving average is $76.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Insider Activity

In other Willdan Group news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 7,764 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.54, for a total transaction of $904,816.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 72,071 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,399,154.34. The trade was a 9.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total transaction of $290,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,123,612.66. The trade was a 8.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,264 shares of company stock valued at $3,029,191 in the last quarter. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in 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 lifted 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 acquiring an additional 51,003 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Willdan Group by 13.3% in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Willdan Group by 10.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 336,752 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $21,054,000 after purchasing an additional 31,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the second quarter valued at about $20,188,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

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.

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