Willdan Group, Inc. WLDN has secured a three-year, $4.5 million contract with the City of Bellflower, CA, to provide building division operations and fire plan inspection services. This agreement not only strengthens Willdan’s foothold in Los Angeles County but also demonstrates its ability to deliver critical municipal services.

“We thank the City of Bellflower for selecting us,” said Mike Bieber, Willdan’s CEO. “This contract expands our work in Los Angeles County, and we’re looking forward to supporting the City’s current and future needs.”

The City of Bellflower, home to nearly 80,000 residents and 4,000 businesses, values high-quality governance and services. City manager Ryan Smoot emphasized Willdan’s expertise and collaborative approach, stating that the company will ensure a “seamless transition” in its service delivery.

Willdan’s Strategic Growth in Municipal Services

The Bellflower contract aligns with Willdan’s strategic focus. The company emphasized its commitment to expanding recurring revenue streams through long-term municipal partnerships. The contract supports Willdan’s strategy to deepen its regional presence while leveraging its reputation for efficient and personalized municipal services. During the recent earnings call, CEO Mike Bieber emphasized that municipal projects continue to be a standout segment, with double-digit organic growth and a robust outlook across state and local government clients.

Notably, third-quarter 2024 results were favorably impacted by growth in municipal engineering, project management revenues and expanded utility program management revenues. During the first nine-month period of 2024, higher activity from WLDN’s construction management projects, expanded utility programs and higher municipal engineering services resulted in a 38% increase in adjusted EBITDA to $39.1 million from a year ago. The increased adjusted EBITDA, reduced net interest expense and the lower effective tax rate enabled adjusted earnings per share (EPS) to grow 79% to $1.70 per share.
 

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Shares of Wildan have gained 107.3% in the past year, outperforming the industry’s 0.9% rise. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 and 2025 EPS estimates indicates 28.6% and 4.4% year-over-year growth, respectively. Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 EPS estimate has increased to $2.25 (from $2.1), depicting analysts’ optimism for the stock's prospects. The stock currently has a VGM Score of A.

WLDN’s Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

Wildan currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Some other top-ranked stocks have been discussed below:

Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. STRL presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.5%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Shares of STRL have gained 203.9% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for STRL’s 2024 sales and EPS implies an increase of 9% and 33.3%, respectively, from the prior-year levels.

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation LPX currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1. LPX delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.7%, on average. The stock has gained 86.8% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LPX’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates an increase of 12.7% and 72.1%, respectively, from a year ago.

MasTec, Inc. MTZ presently sports a Zacks Rank of 1. MTZ delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 40.2%, on average. The stock has risen 147.7% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MTZ’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates an increase of 1.9% and 84.3%, respectively, from a year ago.

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