Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Issues Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.10 EPS

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.10, FiscalAI reports. Willdan Group had a net margin of 7.71% and a return on equity of 23.34%. The business had revenue of $92.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.17 million. Willdan Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.900-5.050 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Willdan Group’s conference call:

• Willdan delivered a strong Q1 with normalized contract revenue up ~10%, net revenue up 17%, a record adjusted EBITDA of $18.1M (19.6% of net revenue) and adjusted EBITDA growth of ~35%, driving adjusted EPS to $0.91.
• The company closed the acquisition of Burton Energy Group, which adds ~ $103M in 2025 contract revenue, multi‑year recurring Fortune 500 clients and cross‑selling opportunities, and is expected to be accretive to margins and EPS in 2026.
• Management raised full‑year 2026 guidance (net revenues $410–425M; adjusted EBITDA $100–105M; adj diluted EPS $4.90–5.05) and lifted its long‑term adjusted EBITDA margin target to the high‑twenties percent, citing productivity, favorable mix and operating leverage.
• Operating cash used $24M in Q1 (vs. +$3M prior year), and the company drew $30M on its revolver to fund Burton (bringing net leverage to ~0.6x pro forma), but management highlights $28M deferred tax assets, strong trailing‑12‑month cash generation and an expectation to repay the revolver by year‑end.

Willdan Group Stock Up 16.4%

NASDAQ:WLDN traded up $12.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $86.68. The company had a trading volume of 813,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 337,762. Willdan Group has a twelve month low of $40.56 and a twelve month high of $137.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market cap of $1.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 1.07. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $80.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.89.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.82, for a total value of $490,920.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,865.18. This represents a 22.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 1.1% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 7,615 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 6,062 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $629,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP grew its holdings in Willdan Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 6,925 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $433,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Willdan Group by 203.3% during the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in Willdan Group by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 15,761 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Willdan Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Willdan Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $4.90–$5.05, well above street EPS consensus (~$4.42), signaling confidence in profitability and driving upside for per‑share earnings. Willdan Group Reports First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat: EPS $0.91 vs. consensus $0.81 and net revenue ~$92.4M slightly above estimates; net income rose ~82% year‑over‑year and margins/ROE improved — evidence of operating leverage on current projects. Willdan Group Reports First Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary views the guidance raise as a potential re‑rating opportunity; a Seeking Alpha piece argues the stock looks mispriced after the guidance boost, which supports further upside if execution continues. Willdan Looks Mispriced After Raising Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call / transcript provides management detail on the quarter and the drivers behind the guidance change; investors should review the call for cadence on backlog, seasonality and cash flow assumptions. Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance of $410–$425M is materially lower than a cited consensus (~$702.8M), which may concern investors focused on top‑line growth and could cap valuation expansion unless management explains the gap (timing, normalization or portfolio changes). Willdan Group Reports First Quarter Results
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary and coverage noted intraday profit‑taking/pullbacks despite strong results, indicating that investors remain sensitive to growth/visibility and the revenue‑guide disconnect. Willdan Group (WLDN) Shares Pulled Back Despite Strong Results

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WLDN. Wall Street Zen lowered Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings cut Willdan Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.67.

About Willdan Group

Willdan Group, Inc provides energy efficiency, infrastructure engineering, and technical consulting services to a diverse range of public and private sector clients. The company works with utilities, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and commercial enterprises to design, implement, and manage programs that promote sustainable energy use, grid modernization, and resilient infrastructure. Willdan’s offerings span program design and implementation, energy audits, measurement and verification, and project management for both new construction and retrofit initiatives.

Core services include energy advisory and engineering solutions, including feasibility studies, facility commissioning and retro-commissioning, $0 down financing for energy projects, and demand response program development.