582,224 Shares in Westwood Holdings Group Inc $WHG Acquired by BlackRock Inc.

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 582,224 shares of Westwood Holdings Group in the second quarter, valued at approximately $11.2 million and representing a 6.14% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 56.64% of WHG.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with Westwood Holdings Group receiving a consensus “Buy” rating. The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.33 on revenue of $25.34 million.
• Westwood declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share, equivalent to an annualized $0.60 dividend and a 3.2% yield; the stock recently opened at $18.75.

BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group Inc (NYSE:WHG - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 582,224 shares of the asset manager's stock, valued at approximately $11,155,000. BlackRock Inc. owned approximately 6.14% of Westwood Holdings Group at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,638,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Westwood Holdings Group in the second quarter worth $396,000. Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the second quarter worth $148,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 41,898 shares of the asset manager's stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 3,561 shares during the last quarter. 56.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WHG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Westwood Holdings Group to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings raised Westwood Holdings Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Westwood Holdings Group currently has a consensus rating of "Buy".

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Susan Byrne sold 7,129 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $20.03, for a total transaction of $142,793.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 240,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,809,363.24. This trade represents a 2.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 44,276 shares of company stock worth $829,942. Insiders own 17.40% of the company's stock.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Down 1.6%

Westwood Holdings Group stock opened at $18.75 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $19.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.60. The firm has a market cap of $177.94 million, a PE ratio of 21.31 and a beta of 0.56. Westwood Holdings Group Inc has a 52-week low of $14.70 and a 52-week high of $20.97.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The asset manager reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $25.34 million during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group had a return on equity of 8.10% and a net margin of 7.73%.

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Westwood Holdings Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 68.18%.

About Westwood Holdings Group

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.

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