Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up previously from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and three have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $111.50.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of WLDN stock traded up $3.55 on Thursday, hitting $95.87. 288,058 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 251,614. The company has a 50 day moving average of $95.93 and a 200 day moving average of $81.06. The stock has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.11 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43. Willdan Group has a 12 month low of $30.43 and a 12 month high of $121.00.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The construction company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.40. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 5.60%.The firm had revenue of $94.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.00 million. Willdan Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Willdan Group will post 1.82 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In related news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total value of $14,268,694.58. Following the sale, the director directly owned 320,696 shares in the company, valued at $35,177,144.24. This represents a 28.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Micah Chen sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.00, for a total transaction of $1,060,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 40,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,284,838. This represents a 19.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 402,562 shares of company stock worth $43,325,827 over the last ninety days. 8.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Willdan Group by 1,915.4% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 262 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Willdan Group during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter worth $48,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Willdan Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $65,000. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new stake in Willdan Group during the 1st quarter valued at $75,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

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.