Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Monday.

Separately, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Monday, November 4th.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Willdan Group stock opened at $31.12 on Monday. Willdan Group has a 12-month low of $19.70 and a 12-month high of $50.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $439.57 million, a P/E ratio of 19.09 and a beta of 1.37. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $35.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 4,349 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $187,572.37. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 69,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,982,266.98. This trade represents a 5.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $268,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 126.8% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 11,280 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $430,000 after buying an additional 6,306 shares during the period. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $375,000. Man Group plc raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 180.2% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 31,924 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,216,000 after buying an additional 20,530 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 136.0% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 208,059 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,925,000 after buying an additional 119,888 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.