Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

WLDN has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Willdan Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Willdan Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $112.67.

Willdan Group Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ WLDN opened at $79.10 on Monday. Willdan Group has a 12 month low of $62.16 and a 12 month high of $137.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $87.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $97.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.10. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 23.36%. The company had revenue of $92.43 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $92.17 million. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.050 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Willdan Group will post 4.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total transaction of $5,190,388.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 249,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,851,499.50. This represents a 18.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 182.0% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the first quarter worth about $447,000. Amundi raised its position in shares of Willdan Group by 50.7% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 4,361 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,468 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Willdan Group by 29.5% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 18,008 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,379,000 after purchasing an additional 4,097 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ranger Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the first quarter worth $3,555,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.