Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) Share Price Passes Above 200-Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group's stock has crossed above its 200-day moving average of $16.00, trading as high as $18.08 before closing at $17.70.
• Wall Street analysts recently downgraded the stock from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating, reflecting a cautious outlook.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share with a dividend yield of 3.4%, despite a high payout ratio of 142.86%.

Shares of Westwood Holdings Group Inc (NYSE:WHG - Get Free Report) crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $16.00 and traded as high as $18.08. Westwood Holdings Group shares last traded at $17.70, with a volume of 11,893 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wall Street Zen upgraded Westwood Holdings Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Down 1.9%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $16.66 and a 200 day moving average of $16.05. The company has a market cap of $166.46 million, a P/E ratio of 42.11 and a beta of 0.97.

Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 8th. The asset manager reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $23.12 million during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group had a return on equity of 5.19% and a net margin of 3.92%.

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Westwood Holdings Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 142.86%.

Institutional Trading of Westwood Holdings Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Westwood Holdings Group by 180.7% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,054 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,966 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group in the fourth quarter worth about $348,000. 683 Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $322,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 29.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 37,570 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 8,562 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in Westwood Holdings Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $146,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.64% of the company's stock.

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.