Insider Selling: Westwood Holdings Group (NYSE:WHG) Director Sells 1,300 Shares

Westwood Holdings Group Inc (NYSE:WHG) Director Susan Byrne sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.32, for a total transaction of $23,816.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 252,011 shares in the company, valued at $4,616,841.52. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Westwood Holdings Group Stock Performance

Shares of WHG stock traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $18.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 14,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,074. The company has a market cap of $173.57 million, a PE ratio of 22.04 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $16.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.00. Westwood Holdings Group Inc has a 52 week low of $14.70 and a 52 week high of $18.99.

Westwood Holdings Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 1st. Westwood Holdings Group’s payout ratio is presently 72.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHG. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Westwood Holdings Group by 1.0% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 613,114 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,749,000 after acquiring an additional 6,302 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in shares of Westwood Holdings Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,638,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 2.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 397,265 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $6,551,000 after acquiring an additional 11,223 shares in the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 2.4% during the first quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 380,809 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $6,272,000 after purchasing an additional 8,816 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Westwood Holdings Group by 1.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 279,685 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $4,607,000 after purchasing an additional 5,169 shares during the period. 56.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Westwood Holdings Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Westwood Holdings Group to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Westwood Holdings Group presently has an average rating of “Buy”.

Westwood Holdings Group Company Profile

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.