Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.78 EPS

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) released its earnings results on Thursday. The construction company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.78, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $89.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.50 million. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 20.23% and a net margin of 6.37%. Willdan Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.500-4.700 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Willdan Group’s conference call:

• Record FY2025 performance: consolidated contract revenue rose 21% to $682M, net revenue grew 23% to $365M, adjusted EBITDA jumped 40% to $79.5M with EBITDA margin above 20%, and the company generated $71M of free cash flow, ending the year net cash positive.
• 2026 guidance implies lower adjusted EPS (guidance $4.50–$4.70 vs. FY2025 adjusted $4.89) largely because management assumes the Section 179D tax benefit will not be available after June, reducing the tax-driven boost that aided 2025 results.
• Large, growing pipeline and deals: multiple recent contract wins (e.g., City of San Diego $112M, Mt. San Antonio College $49M microgrid, Menlo Digital $38M substation) plus the APG acquisition should drive a meaningful ramp in data-center/substation work, with APG expected to more than double in 2026.
• Strong balance sheet and M&A optionality: year-end unrestricted cash $66M, only $49M debt, $216M total available liquidity, and management says it has a robust acquisition pipeline to fund strategic growth and capability expansion.

Willdan Group Trading Up 2.1%

Shares of WLDN traded up $2.50 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $119.60. 261,728 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 263,424. Willdan Group has a 12 month low of $30.43 and a 12 month high of $137.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $118.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.78. The company has a market capitalization of $1.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.02 and a beta of 0.98.

Institutional Trading of Willdan Group

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Willdan Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Willdan Group by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 51,657 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,355,000 after purchasing an additional 24,889 shares during the period. Man Group plc raised its holdings in Willdan Group by 108.6% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 34,677 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,595,000 after purchasing an additional 18,052 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC lifted its position in Willdan Group by 36.6% during the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 15,766 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,634,000 after buying an additional 4,223 shares during the period. Finally, PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Willdan Group during the 4th quarter valued at $368,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on WLDN shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Willdan Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Willdan Group from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Compass Point set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Friday, January 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, January 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $124.33.

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.