Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Stake Boosted by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) by 7.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308,947 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,669 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Willdan Group were worth $23,652,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 203.3% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 364 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $73.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.86 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a 50-day moving average of $81.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.87. Willdan Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $64.67 and a fifty-two week high of $137.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 23.36% and a net margin of 8.24%.The business had revenue of $92.43 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.17 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 4.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Willdan Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $117.50.

Insider Transactions at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total transaction of $5,190,388.08. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,525 shares in the company, valued at $22,851,499.50. This trade represents a 18.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 5.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.