StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) in a research report report published on Wednesday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the asset manager’s stock.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WHG opened at $12.70 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.28 million, a PE ratio of 9.34 and a beta of 1.15. Westwood Holdings Group has a twelve month low of $8.91 and a twelve month high of $13.63. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.51.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The asset manager reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group had a return on equity of 7.86% and a net margin of 7.63%. The business 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 $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.72%. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.12%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WHG. SpiderRock Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $144,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Westwood Holdings Group by 7.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,281 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC bought a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $537,000. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp lifted 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 purchasing an additional 47,047 shares during the last quarter. 56.64% of the stock is currently owned by 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.