Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at StockNews.com

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report released on Friday.

Separately, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Monday, November 4th.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of WLDN stock traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $32.61. The stock had a trading volume of 105,219 shares, compared to its average volume of 111,628. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $36.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.78. Willdan Group has a one year low of $19.70 and a one year high of $50.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $460.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.01 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.77 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Insider Activity at Willdan Group

In other news, CFO Creighton K. Early sold 4,349 shares of Willdan Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.13, for a total value of $187,572.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 69,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,982,266.98. The trade was a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Willdan Group by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 751,985 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $28,643,000 after acquiring an additional 50,262 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in Willdan Group by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 432,135 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $16,460,000 after purchasing an additional 51,003 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Willdan Group by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 419,319 shares of the construction company's stock worth $15,972,000 after purchasing an additional 49,217 shares during the period. Summit Creek Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Summit Creek Advisors LLC now owns 365,153 shares of the construction company's stock worth $13,909,000 after purchasing an additional 6,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 296,398 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $11,293,000 after buying an additional 1,601 shares during the period. 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.