Short Interest in Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) Declines By 16.7%

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,500 shares, a decline of 16.7% from the December 15th total of 3,000 shares. Approximately 0.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 19,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.1 days.

Westwood Holdings Group Price Performance

Shares of WHG traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $14.45. 6,283 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 12,868. Westwood Holdings Group has a fifty-two week low of $11.01 and a fifty-two week high of $18.03. The business has a 50-day moving average of $15.30 and a 200-day moving average of $14.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $133.95 million, a P/E ratio of 43.79 and a beta of 1.13.

Westwood Holdings Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 181.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com raised shares of Westwood Holdings Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 11.9% during the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,427 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $294,000 after purchasing an additional 2,178 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 5.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 25,107 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $357,000 after buying an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 87.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,861 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 13,000 shares in the last quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP grew its position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 131.4% during the 3rd quarter. De Lisle Partners LLP now owns 68,680 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 38,996 shares during the period. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 85.4% in the 2nd quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 116,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,424,000 after acquiring an additional 53,870 shares in the last quarter. 56.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Westwood Holdings Group Company Profile

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.