Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Shares Gap Up - Time to Buy?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $47.31, but opened at $49.81. Willdan Group shares last traded at $46.43, with a volume of 46,357 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WLDN shares. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Willdan Group from $34.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $51.00 target price on the stock.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $41.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.07. The stock has a market cap of $611.08 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.11 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.81.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 3.10%. The firm had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $123.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.19 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,213,668.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total value of $378,767.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at $6,213,668.86. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 750 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.46, for a total value of $27,345.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at $6,188,209.96. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 30,305 shares of company stock valued at $1,105,451 over the last three months. Company insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the third quarter valued at $308,000. Semanteon Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Willdan Group during the third quarter valued at $579,000. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $284,000. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $352,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,970,000. Hedge funds and other 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.