Short Interest in Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) Rises By 20.6%

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,100 shares, a growth of 20.6% from the August 15th total of 3,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 6,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 0.7 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Westwood Holdings Group in a report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating for the company.

Westwood Holdings Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Westwood Holdings Group stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.70. 6,223 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,154. The company has a 50 day moving average of $12.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.51. The stock has a market cap of $117.98 million, a P/E ratio of 9.34 and a beta of 1.15. Westwood Holdings Group has a fifty-two week low of $8.91 and a fifty-two week high of $13.63.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The asset manager reported ($0.18) EPS for the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group had a net margin of 7.63% and a return on equity of 7.86%. The company had revenue of $22.69 million during 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 paid 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 4.72%. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WHG. SpiderRock Advisors LLC bought a new position in Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter worth $144,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Westwood Holdings Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $166,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,575 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC acquired a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter worth approximately $537,000. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 47,047 shares during the period. 56.64% of the stock is 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.