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

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) was the target of a large drop in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,500 shares, a drop of 16.7% from the December 15th total of 3,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 19,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 0.1 days. Currently, 0.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded Westwood Holdings Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

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

Westwood Holdings Group Price Performance

NYSE:WHG traded up $0.23 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $14.45. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,868. Westwood Holdings Group has a twelve month low of $11.01 and a twelve month high of $18.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.14. The company has a market capitalization of $133.95 million, a P/E ratio of 43.79 and a beta of 1.13.

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.15%. Westwood Holdings Group’s payout ratio is currently 181.82%.

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.