Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) in a research note issued to investors on Friday. The firm issued a buy rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Down 4.5 %

WHG stock opened at $14.23 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $132.52 million, a PE ratio of 10.46 and a beta of 1.15. Westwood Holdings Group has a twelve month low of $8.91 and a twelve month high of $15.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $12.90 and its 200-day moving average is $12.62.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The asset manager reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter. The business had revenue of $22.69 million for the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group had a net margin of 7.63% and a return on equity of 7.86%.

Westwood Holdings Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $144,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 7.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,281 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC purchased a new position in Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter valued at $537,000. Garner Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 352.5% during the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 60,395 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $714,000 after buying an additional 47,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 99,546 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,251,000 after buying an additional 2,050 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 56.64% of the company’s stock.

About Westwood Holdings Group

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manages investment assets and provides services for its clients. The company operates in two segments, Advisory and Trust. The Advisory segment provides investment advisory services to corporate retirement plans, public retirement plans, endowments, foundations, individuals, and the Westwood Funds; and investment sub-advisory services to mutual funds, pooled investment vehicles, and its Trust segment.