[Form 4] Willdan Group, Inc. Insider Trading Activity

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Creighton K. Early, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Willdan Group, Inc. (WLDN), reported option exercise and a contemporaneous sale on 08/13/2025. He exercised 7,764 stock options with an exercise price of $9.08 and immediately sold 7,764 shares at $116.54. Following the transactions, he reported beneficial ownership of 72,071 shares.

The filing also discloses unvested restricted stock units: 4,620 RSUs vesting in three equal installments on March 17 of 2026–2028, 2,800 RSUs vesting in two equal installments on March 20 of 2026–2027, and 7,600 restricted shares vesting on March 7, 2026, all subject to continued service.

Positive

• Sale price exceeded exercise price: options exercised at $9.08 and shares sold at $116.54, indicating realized intrinsic value.
• Significant retained ownership: reporting person still beneficially owns 72,071 shares after the transactions.
• Clear vesting schedule disclosed: RSUs and restricted shares include specific vesting dates through March 2028, aligning incentives with continued service.

Negative

• Disposition of shares: reporting person sold 7,764 shares, which is a material sale of insider stock.
• Concentration of equity compensation: a substantial portion of the reporting person’s holdings are subject to time-based vesting, which may affect future liquidity/tax events.

Insights

Financial Analyst

TL;DR Insider exercised options at $9.08 and sold at $116.54; holdings remain substantial at 72,071 shares.

This is a routine option exercise combined with a sale, explicitly showing a large spread between the exercise price and sale price which realized intrinsic value. The remaining reported beneficial ownership of 72,071 shares plus the scheduled RSU vesting schedule maintains the executive's ongoing equity exposure to the company.

Corporate Governance Expert

TL;DR Transaction aligns with typical executive compensation monetization while retaining significant vested and unvested equity.

The Form 4 indicates compliance with Section 16 reporting and discloses vesting timelines for restricted awards. The reporting person remains an officer and director with material ongoing holdings and unvested awards that incentivize continued service.

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
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Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

EARLY CREIGHTON K

(Last) (First) (Middle)

2401 E. KATELLA AVE

SUITE 300

(Street)

ANAHEIM CA 92806

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Willdan Group, Inc. [ WLDN ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	EXECUTIVE VP AND CFO

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
08/13/2025

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	08/13/2025		M		7,764	A	$9.08	79,835(1)	D
Common Stock	08/13/2025		S		7,764	D	$116.54	72,071(1)	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Stock Options (Right to Buy)	$9.08	08/13/2025		M			7,764	12/07/2016(2)	12/07/2025	Common Stock	7,764	$0	0	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. Includes (i) 4,620 shares of restricted stock units that vest in three substantially equal installments on each of March 17, 2026, March 17, 2027 and March 17, 2028, (ii) 2,800 shares of restricted stock units that vest in two substantially equal installments on each of March 20, 2026 and March 20, 2027 and (iii) 7,600 shares of restricted stock that vest on March 7, 2026, subject to the Reporting Person's continued service to the Issuer through the applicable vesting date.

2. Stock options granted under the Willdan Group, Inc. Amended and Restated 2008 Performance Incentive Plan, which vested in three equal installments on each of December 7, 2016, December 7, 2017 and December 7, 2018.

	/s/ Creighton K. Early	08/15/2025
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.

FAQ

What transactions did Creighton K. Early report on Form 4 for WLDN?

He reported exercising 7,764 stock options at an exercise price of $9.08 and selling 7,764 shares at $116.54 on 08/13/2025.

How many shares does the reporting person own after the transactions (WLDN)?

The Form 4 lists 72,071 shares beneficially owned by the reporting person following the reported transactions.

What unvested awards does the Form 4 disclose for WLDN executive?

The filing discloses 4,620 RSUs vesting in three installments on March 17 of 2026–2028, 2,800 RSUs vesting in two installments on March 20 of 2026–2027, and 7,600 restricted shares vesting on March 7, 2026.

What is the relationship of the reporting person to Willdan Group (WLDN)?

Creighton K. Early is reported as an Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and also marked as a director on the Form 4.

Were the exercised options subject to a specific plan and original grant date?

Yes. The exercised stock options were granted under the Willdan Group, Inc. Amended and Restated 2008 Performance Incentive Plan and vested in three equal installments beginning December 7, 2016.