Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.10 EPS

Willdan Group (NASDAQ:WLDN) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The construction company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.10, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $92.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.17 million. Willdan Group had a net margin of 8.24% and a return on equity of 23.89%. Willdan Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 4.900-5.050 EPS.

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

• Willdan delivered a strong Q1 with normalized contract revenue up ~10%, net revenue up 17%, a record adjusted EBITDA of $18.1M (19.6% of net revenue) and adjusted EBITDA growth of ~35%, driving adjusted EPS to $0.91.
• The company closed the acquisition of Burton Energy Group, which adds ~ $103M in 2025 contract revenue, multi‑year recurring Fortune 500 clients and cross‑selling opportunities, and is expected to be accretive to margins and EPS in 2026.
• Management raised full‑year 2026 guidance (net revenues $410–425M; adjusted EBITDA $100–105M; adj diluted EPS $4.90–5.05) and lifted its long‑term adjusted EBITDA margin target to the high‑twenties percent, citing productivity, favorable mix and operating leverage.
• Operating cash used $24M in Q1 (vs. +$3M prior year), and the company drew $30M on its revolver to fund Burton (bringing net leverage to ~0.6x pro forma), but management highlights $28M deferred tax assets, strong trailing‑12‑month cash generation and an expectation to repay the revolver by year‑end.

Willdan Group Stock Up 18.7%

Willdan Group stock opened at $88.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $80.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Willdan Group has a 1-year low of $40.56 and a 1-year high of $137.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WLDN. Wall Street Zen downgraded Willdan Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Willdan Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wedbush began coverage on Willdan Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $110.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Willdan Group

In other news, Director Steven A. Cohen sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.82, for a total transaction of $490,920.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 20,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,865.18. This trade represents a 22.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Willdan Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Willdan posted Q1 EPS of $0.91, ahead of the $0.81 consensus, and revenue of $92.43 million, slightly above expectations, signaling solid operating execution. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised FY2026 EPS guidance to $4.90-$5.05, well above the prior market view, which points to stronger earnings power ahead. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: First-quarter contract revenue, net revenue, and net income all improved year over year, with management noting normalized growth was stronger than headline results due to one fewer week in the quarter. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Investor commentary highlighted expanding commercial exposure, higher-margin recurring energy management revenue from the Burton acquisition, and a healthy balance sheet that supports further M&A-driven growth. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around the Q1 earnings call and snapshot articles reinforces the earnings story, but does not add materially new information beyond the reported results. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some traders appear to be taking profits after the strong release, as one article notes the shares pulled back despite the solid results, suggesting the move may face near-term volatility. Article Title

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.