Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

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) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 213,665 shares were traded during 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WLDN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded Willdan Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wedbush increased their target price on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $111.50.

Willdan Group Trading Up 4.6%

The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.49 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $82.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $55.63.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 2,500 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.34, for a total value of $290,850.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 26,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,123,612.66. The trade was a 8.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total transaction of $14,268,694.58. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 320,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,177,144.24. This represents a 28.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 178,823 shares of company stock worth $18,081,688. Company insiders own 8.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 32.4% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 17,877 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $681,000 after acquiring an additional 4,375 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Willdan Group by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,597 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $99,000 after purchasing an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 32.5% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,924 shares of the construction company's stock worth $873,000 after purchasing an additional 5,623 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 8.2% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 156,545 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,963,000 after buying an additional 11,806 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position 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 buying an additional 49,217 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.