Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) gapped up prior to trading on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $73.69, but opened at $85.97. Willdan Group shares last traded at $84.90, with a volume of 140,004 shares traded.

The construction company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.77. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 23.36% and a net margin of 8.24%.The business had revenue of $231.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $102.27 million. Willdan Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.000-5.150 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WLDN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Michael A. Bieber sold 56,676 shares of Willdan Group 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 249,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,851,499.50. The trade was a 18.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLDN. Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the second quarter worth $20,188,000. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Willdan Group by 207.1% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 302,380 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,237,000 after purchasing an additional 203,912 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Willdan Group by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,201,517 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $124,549,000 after purchasing an additional 126,247 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Willdan Group by 89.2% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 237,697 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $24,640,000 after purchasing an additional 112,094 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Willdan Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $9,742,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Willdan Group Trading Up 11.4%

The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.13 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $89.87.

About Willdan Group

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.