Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $111.11, but opened at $115.42. Willdan Group shares last traded at $116.11, with a volume of 195,867 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WLDN has been the topic of several research reports. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $62.00) on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Willdan Group from $85.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Willdan Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Willdan Group presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $111.50.

Willdan Group Stock Up 3.1%

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.91. The firm has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 130,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.69, for a total transaction of $14,268,694.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 320,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,177,144.24. This trade represents a 28.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Cynthia Downes sold 2,763 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.43, for a total transaction of $302,355.09. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $974,911.87. This represents a 23.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 178,823 shares of company stock valued at $18,081,688. 8.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 3.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 774,212 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,526,000 after acquiring an additional 22,227 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 432,135 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $16,460,000 after acquiring an additional 51,003 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 419,319 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,972,000 after acquiring an additional 49,217 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Willdan Group by 10.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 336,752 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $21,054,000 after acquiring an additional 31,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $20,188,000. 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.