Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $45.34 and last traded at $45.16, with a volume of 110362 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $43.94.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $51.00 price objective for the company. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $33.75. The firm has a market cap of $635.58 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.11 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.81.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The company had revenue of $141.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.19 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In other news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total transaction of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.45, for a total transaction of $364,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 68,342 shares in the company, valued at $2,491,065.90. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total transaction of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,188,209.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,305 shares of company stock valued at $1,105,451. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. nVerses Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 125.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $44,000. ProShare Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Willdan Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $48,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 168.3% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $78,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the period. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the first quarter worth approximately $90,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.