Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) Short Interest Up 33.9% in March

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,500 shares, a growth of 33.9% from the March 15th total of 5,600 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 16,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.5 days. Approximately 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Peapod Lane Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,533,000. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $348,000. 683 Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $322,000. Garner Asset Management Corp lifted its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 140,753 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,012,000 after buying an additional 14,427 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 87.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,861 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 13,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 56.64% of the company’s stock.

Westwood Holdings Group Trading Up 5.5 %

WHG traded up $0.86 during trading on Friday, hitting $16.31. The stock had a trading volume of 22,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,875. The firm has a market cap of $152.95 million, a PE ratio of 65.22 and a beta of 0.96. Westwood Holdings Group has a 12 month low of $11.01 and a 12 month high of $18.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $15.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.51.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 240.00%.

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.