Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) Short Interest Update

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,400 shares, an increase of 58.5% from the January 31st total of 5,300 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 15,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Institutional Trading of Westwood Holdings Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC grew its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 180.7% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,054 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,966 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC acquired a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the fourth quarter worth $146,000. GABELLI & Co INVESTMENT ADVISERS INC. bought a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the fourth quarter valued at $160,000. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 11.9% during the third quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,427 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $294,000 after acquiring an additional 2,178 shares during the period. Finally, 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the fourth quarter valued at $322,000. 56.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Westwood Holdings Group Price Performance

NYSE:WHG traded down $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.34. The stock had a trading volume of 20,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,061. The company has a market capitalization of $142.20 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.34 and a beta of 1.13. Westwood Holdings Group has a 1-year low of $11.01 and a 1-year high of $18.03. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.87.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The asset manager reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group had a return on equity of 2.66% and a net margin of 2.33%.

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.91%. Westwood Holdings Group’s payout ratio is 240.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Westwood Holdings Group Company Profile

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.