Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) Stock Price Passes Below 200-Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group's stock price has fallen below its 200-day moving average, trading at $16.36, as analysts report mixed ratings for the stock.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share with a yield of 3.6%, although it has a high dividend payout ratio of 142.86%.
• Insider transactions include a sale of 6,750 shares by CEO Brian O. Casey, reducing his ownership in the company by 1.32%.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc (NYSE:WHG - Get Free Report) shares passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $16.41 and traded as low as $16.36. Westwood Holdings Group shares last traded at $16.62, with a volume of 6,161 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Westwood Holdings Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Westwood Holdings Group in a report on Saturday, September 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold".

Westwood Holdings Group Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $156.39 million, a PE ratio of 39.57 and a beta of 0.98. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $17.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.41.

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

Westwood Holdings Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. Westwood Holdings Group's dividend payout ratio is 142.86%.

Insider Transactions at Westwood Holdings Group

In other Westwood Holdings Group news, CEO Brian O. Casey sold 6,750 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.00, for a total transaction of $121,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 505,926 shares in the company, valued at $9,106,668. This represents a 1.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 8.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Westwood Holdings Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the first quarter worth approximately $213,000. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $146,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 1.5% during the second quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 367,460 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $5,732,000 after buying an additional 5,446 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 1.5% during the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 453,180 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $7,342,000 after buying an additional 6,480 shares during the period. Finally, Garner Asset Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 4.0% during the first quarter. Garner Asset Management Corp now owns 146,408 shares of the asset manager's stock worth $2,372,000 after buying an additional 5,655 shares during the period. 56.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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