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

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 25,700 shares, a growth of 471.1% from the September 30th total of 4,500 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 11,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Currently, 0.4% of the company's stock are sold short.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westwood Holdings Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHG. SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the 1st quarter worth $144,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased 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 worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC purchased a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the 1st quarter worth $537,000. Garner Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 63,067 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $777,000 after acquiring an additional 2,672 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 104,673 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $1,290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,127 shares in the last quarter. 56.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Performance

WHG stock traded up $0.15 during trading on Friday, reaching $15.95. The company had a trading volume of 21,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,391. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $13.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.97. The company has a market cap of $148.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.73 and a beta of 1.15. Westwood Holdings Group has a twelve month low of $8.95 and a twelve month high of $18.03.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $22.69 million for the quarter.

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders 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 3.76%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Westwood Holdings Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Westwood Holdings Group in a research note on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating for the company.

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.

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