Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $50.50 and last traded at $50.32, with a volume of 49368 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $48.63.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on WLDN shares. Wedbush upgraded Willdan Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. StockNews.com cut Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $732.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.01 and a beta of 1.09. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In related news, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.20, for a total transaction of $482,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 38,502 shares in the company, valued at $1,855,796.40. This trade represents a 20.62% 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 Mohammad Shahidehpour sold 2,273 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.20, for a total value of $89,101.60. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,767 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $500,466.40. The trade was a 15.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,273 shares of company stock worth $2,744,652. 9.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 774,212 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,526,000 after purchasing an additional 22,227 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in Willdan Group by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 432,135 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $16,460,000 after buying an additional 51,003 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 13.3% in the fourth 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. Summit Creek Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 365,153 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,909,000 after acquiring an additional 6,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 296,398 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,293,000 after acquiring an additional 1,601 shares in the last quarter. 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.