Willdan Group, Inc. $WLDN Shares Acquired by Legato Capital Management LLC

Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) by 29.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,376 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,707 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Willdan Group were worth $3,045,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Willdan Group by 1,915.4% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 262 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Willdan Group news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total value of $5,190,388.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 249,525 shares in the company, valued at $22,851,499.50. This represents a 18.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.82, for a total transaction of $490,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 20,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,705,865.18. The trade was a 22.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 72,667 shares of company stock valued at $6,606,974. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WLDN has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.67.

Willdan Group Stock Up 3.2%

WLDN stock opened at $93.55 on Friday. Willdan Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $50.01 and a 12-month high of $137.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market cap of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.22 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a 50 day moving average of $80.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $98.51.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The construction company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.10. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 23.36%. The company had revenue of $92.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.17 million. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.900-5.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Willdan Group, Inc. will post 3.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Willdan Group Company Profile

Willdan Group, Inc provides energy efficiency, infrastructure engineering, and technical consulting services to a diverse range of public and private sector clients. The company works with utilities, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and commercial enterprises to design, implement, and manage programs that promote sustainable energy use, grid modernization, and resilient infrastructure. Willdan’s offerings span program design and implementation, energy audits, measurement and verification, and project management for both new construction and retrofit initiatives.

Core services include energy advisory and engineering solutions, including feasibility studies, facility commissioning and retro-commissioning, $0 down financing for energy projects, and demand response program development.