Garner Asset Management Corp Buys 53,870 Shares of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG)

Garner Asset Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE:WHG) by 85.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 116,937 shares of the asset manager’s stock after buying an additional 53,870 shares during the quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp owned approximately 1.26% of Westwood Holdings Group worth $1,424,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 2.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 243,897 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,971,000 after acquiring an additional 5,793 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC raised its position in Westwood Holdings Group by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 104,673 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $1,290,000 after purchasing an additional 5,127 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 458,000 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $5,643,000 after buying an additional 9,500 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position 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 worth $275,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares in the last quarter. 56.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Westwood Holdings Group in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Performance

NYSE WHG opened at $12.59 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $117.25 million, a PE ratio of 9.26 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $12.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.53. Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $8.91 and a 52-week high of $13.63.

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

Westwood Holdings Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.77%. Westwood Holdings Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.12%.

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.