Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Downgraded by Zacks Research to Hold

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on WLDN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday, October 19th. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Willdan Group in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Yorkville Ives started coverage on shares of Willdan Group in a report on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Willdan Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $118.33.

Willdan Group Stock Down 6.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WLDN traded down $4.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $66.22. The company had a trading volume of 411,048 shares, compared to its average volume of 215,240. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $77.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $85.87. Willdan Group has a 1-year low of $61.51 and a 1-year high of $137.00.

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The construction company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.12. Willdan Group had a return on equity of 24.51% and a net margin of 8.80%. The business had revenue of $214.53 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $107.77 million. On average, analysts predict that Willdan Group will post 4.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Thomas Brisbin sold 4,905 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.36, for a total transaction of $389,260.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 96,687 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,673,080.32. This represents a 4.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last three months, insiders sold 67,101 shares of company stock worth $5,871,388. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Willdan Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WLDN. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Willdan Group in the second quarter worth $113,795,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Willdan Group by 40.9% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 550,651 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,572,000 after purchasing an additional 159,931 shares in the last quarter. Neumeier Poma Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in Willdan Group in the second quarter valued at about $41,939,611. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Willdan Group by 7.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 308,947 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $23,652,000 after purchasing an additional 21,669 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Willdan Group by 20.7% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 286,858 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $21,962,000 after purchasing an additional 49,161 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Willdan Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Willdan Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Willdan raised its FY 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $5.15–$5.25, above the $4.87 consensus estimate. Earnings call transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 contract revenue rose 17.9% to $214.5 million, net revenue increased 18.1% to $112.2 million, and adjusted EBITDA climbed 22.4% to $28.3 million. Adjusted EPS of $1.20 topped analyst expectations. Third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Willdan was selected as one of 26 providers for the New York Power Authority’s Energy Services Program, with work available under ten-year contracts as projects are assigned. It also announced engineering work for 643 MW of energy infrastructure projects. NYPA selection Energy infrastructure projects
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s revenue guidance of $435–$445 million was reported against a $746.5 million consensus estimate, a sizable apparent shortfall. The figures may not be directly comparable, so investors may seek clarification on the revenue measure used. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Despite growth in adjusted EBITDA, net income fell 13.6%, GAAP diluted EPS declined 15.6% to $0.76, and adjusted diluted EPS edged down 0.8% year over year. The weaker bottom-line comparisons may have weighed on investor sentiment. Third-quarter results

About Willdan Group

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.