Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) to a buy rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Westwood Holdings Group in a research note on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Westwood Holdings Group Price Performance

NYSE:WHG opened at $15.84 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $16.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.87. The company has a market capitalization of $150.35 million, a PE ratio of 19.09 and a beta of 0.62. Westwood Holdings Group has a 1-year low of $14.51 and a 1-year high of $18.99.

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Westwood Holdings Group news, insider Adrian Helfert sold 10,772 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.22, for a total transaction of $174,721.84. Following the transaction, the insider owned 162,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,639,821.22. This represents a 6.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brian O. Casey sold 18,943 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.22, for a total transaction of $307,255.46. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 530,610 shares in the company, valued at $8,606,494.20. This represents a 3.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 63,920 shares of company stock valued at $1,039,349. Company insiders own 17.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 613,114 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $9,749,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302 shares during the period. Settian Capital LP lifted its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 9.4% during the 3rd quarter. Settian Capital LP now owns 470,515 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $7,759,000 after acquiring an additional 40,507 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in Westwood Holdings Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,638,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 397,265 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $6,551,000 after acquiring an additional 11,223 shares during the period. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 380,809 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $6,272,000 after acquiring an additional 8,816 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 56.64% of the company’s stock.

Westwood Holdings Group Company Profile

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc is an independent, publicly traded asset management firm founded in 1983 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the company offers a range of investment advisory services tailored to institutional, retail, and high-net-worth clients. Westwood’s disciplined, value-oriented approach guides its research process across equity and fixed-income markets, with an emphasis on fundamental analysis and long-term risk management.

The firm’s product lineup includes U.S.