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

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) in a research report released on Thursday. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Westwood Holdings Group Price Performance

Shares of Westwood Holdings Group stock opened at $13.57 on Thursday. Westwood Holdings Group has a 1 year low of $8.91 and a 1 year high of $13.90. The firm has a market cap of $126.38 million, a PE ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.55.

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

Westwood Holdings Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.42%. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter worth approximately $144,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Westwood Holdings Group by 7.6% in the 1st 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 during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC bought a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the first quarter worth $537,000. Garner Asset Management Corp boosted its position in Westwood Holdings Group by 352.5% during the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 99,546 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,251,000 after buying an additional 2,050 shares during the last quarter. 56.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.