Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Cuts Position in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Free Report) by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,213 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 11,400 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.32% of Willdan Group worth $1,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Comerica Bank grew its stake in Willdan Group by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 9,864 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Willdan Group by 4.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,107 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its position in Willdan Group by 125.0% during the third quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC raised its stake in Willdan Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 155,761 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,378,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its position in Willdan Group by 9.3% during the second quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 10,328 shares of the construction company's stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,213,668.86. This trade 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 this link. Also, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.45, for a total transaction of $364,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 68,342 shares in the company, valued at $2,491,065.90. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,305 shares of company stock worth $1,105,451. Corporate insiders own 9.80% of the company's stock.

Willdan Group Trading Down 7.7 %

Shares of WLDN stock traded down $3.63 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $43.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 403,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 98,924. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.13 and a 52 week high of $50.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.81. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $41.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.07. The company has a market cap of $611.08 million, a PE ratio of 36.11 and a beta of 1.41.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.15. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.10% and a return on equity of 12.06%. The firm had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.19 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.