Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.13 EPS

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The construction company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.13), Zacks reports. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.80% and a return on equity of 24.51%.

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

• Willdan reported 18% growth in third-quarter net revenue to $112 million and 22% growth in adjusted EBITDA to $28.3 million, with the adjusted EBITDA margin expanding to 25.2%. Record nine-month results led the company to raise its 2026 targets to $435 million–$445 million in net revenue and $109 million–$111 million in adjusted EBITDA.
• The company closed its acquisition of Mantis Innovation, which is expected to contribute about $75 million in net revenue in 2026 and expand Willdan’s commercial and industrial energy-management business. Management said the acquisition broadens the client base and creates opportunities to cross-sell services.
• Willdan introduced preliminary 2027 targets of $1 billion in contract revenue, more than $500 million in net revenue, and over $140 million in adjusted EBITDA, citing continued demand and expected growth across its customer segments.
• Third-quarter GAAP net income fell to $11.9 million from $13.7 million, and diluted EPS declined to $0.76 from $0.90. A higher effective tax rate and increased stock compensation and amortization weighed on results; adjusted EPS was essentially flat year over year.
• After financing the Mantis acquisition, Willdan reported pro forma net leverage of about 2.3 times adjusted EBITDA, up from 0.2 times at quarter-end. Management plans to prioritize debt reduction and expects leverage below 2.0 times by the third quarter of 2027.

Willdan Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WLDN traded down $3.35 on Thursday, hitting $70.85. The company had a trading volume of 252,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 308,356. The company has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63 and a beta of 1.28. Willdan Group has a 52-week low of $64.67 and a 52-week high of $137.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The business has a 50 day moving average of $77.90 and a 200 day moving average of $86.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Willdan Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Yorkville Ives began coverage on Willdan Group in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Willdan Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In other news, Director Thomas Brisbin sold 58,757 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.14, for a total transaction of $5,178,841.98. Following the sale, the director owned 96,687 shares in the company, valued at $8,521,992.18. This trade represents a 37.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 67,101 shares of company stock worth $5,871,388. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Willdan Group Company Profile

Willdan Group, Inc (NASDAQ:WLDN) is a professional services company that provides technical, consulting and infrastructure solutions to utilities, government agencies and commercial clients. The company operates primarily in the United States, with a strong presence in California and other markets where energy, infrastructure and public-sector modernization services are in demand.

Through its energy-focused operations, Willdan designs and implements energy-efficiency, demand-response, electrification and distributed-energy programs.