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

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

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Performance

Shares of WHG opened at $16.61 on Friday. Westwood Holdings Group has a 52-week low of $8.91 and a 52-week high of $16.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $13.18 and its 200-day moving average is $12.77. The firm has a market cap of $154.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.21 and a beta of 1.15.

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

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WHG. SpiderRock Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the 1st quarter valued at $144,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 353,837 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $4,359,000 after acquiring an additional 3,520 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the 1st quarter valued at $537,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 7.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 242,324 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,985,000 after buying an additional 34,697 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 56.64% of the company’s stock.

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.