Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume - Still a Buy?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 47,414 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the previous session's volume of 98,684 shares.The stock last traded at $43.85 and had previously closed at $43.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Willdan Group Trading Up 2.5 %

The firm has a market cap of $626.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.50 and a beta of 1.39. The business's 50 day moving average price is $41.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $35.31. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The construction company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $141.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $123.07 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 3.97% and a return on equity of 14.14%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.19 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 1.72 EPS 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 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at $6,213,668.86. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 9,209 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.36, for a total value of $334,839.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,171,237.36. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 10,346 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.61, for a total transaction of $378,767.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 169,726 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,213,668.86. This trade 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 worth $1,105,451 over the last quarter. 9.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. Wulff Hansen & CO. grew its position in Willdan Group by 2,785.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 668,310 shares of the construction company's stock worth $19,281,000 after purchasing an additional 645,145 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB bought a new position in Willdan Group in the 1st quarter worth about $12,628,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in Willdan Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $2,970,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 1,905.2% in the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 55,144 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,588,000 after acquiring an additional 52,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group by 339.9% in the second quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 55,426 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,599,000 after acquiring an additional 42,826 shares in the last quarter. 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.