Short Interest in Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) Decreases By 17.3%

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 396,100 shares, a decrease of 17.3% from the November 30th total of 478,800 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 173,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days.

Willdan Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WLDN opened at $38.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $541.84 million, a PE ratio of 23.53 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Willdan Group has a 1 year low of $17.23 and a 1 year high of $50.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $42.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In other Willdan Group news, Director Thomas Donald Brisbin sold 7,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.69, for a total value of $321,013.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 422,104 shares in the company, valued at $17,597,515.76. The trade was a 1.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 1,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.86, for a total value of $82,731.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 173,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,772.44. This trade represents a 1.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,787 shares of company stock worth $936,061. 9.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Willdan Group

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WLDN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Willdan Group by 82.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 76,586 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,136,000 after buying an additional 34,699 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the third quarter worth $308,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new position in Willdan Group during the third quarter worth $15,608,000. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $351,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Willdan Group by 245.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 17,301 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $708,000 after purchasing an additional 12,297 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on WLDN shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $51.00 price objective on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday, November 4th.

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.