Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (WHG): Marketing Mix Analysis [Dec-2025 Updated]

You're trying to map out exactly where Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. sits in the investment landscape right now, and after two decades watching these firms, I can tell you their 4 Ps reveal a classic balancing act. As of Q3 2025, they manage $18.3 billion, and their strategy is clear: defend their core active management expertise while aggressively entering the low-cost world via ETFs. We need to look past the marketing speak to see how their Goals-Based Sensible Fees™ (Price) align with their three-pronged distribution (Place) and what that means for their actively managed equity Product. Let's dig into the specifics below.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (WHG) - Marketing Mix: Product

You're looking at the core offerings from Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. as of late 2025. The product suite centers on actively-managed investment strategies and comprehensive wealth services.

The total firmwide assets under management and advisement reached $\text{18.3 billion}$ as of Q3 2025. This figure is comprised of assets under management (AUM) totaling $\text{17.3 billion}$ and assets under advisement (AUA) of $\text{1.0 billion}$.

The investment management side emphasizes outcome-oriented solutions and high-conviction equity strategies, particularly within U.S. Value Equity and Multi-Asset mandates. Several strategies posted top-tier performance metrics during the third quarter of 2025.

• Income Opportunity strategy: Maintained its top decile since-inception ranking.
• Multi-Asset Income strategy: Achieved a top quartile ranking versus peers.
• Real Estate Income strategy: Posted a top decile ranking.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. also offers Wealth Management services. These services include financial planning and trust/estate services for clients.

The firm is growing its suite of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), which are actively managed products designed to deliver high distributable monthly income. The MDST and WEEI ETFs are key examples of this product expansion, which also includes eleven new Defined Volatility sector ETFs added through a partnership with WEBs.

Here's a look at the latest available asset figures and income metrics for the two named ETFs as of late November 2025.

The firm reported quarterly revenues of $\text{24.3 million}$ for the third quarter of 2025, leading to a net income of $\text{3.7 million}$ for the same period. You should note that Westwood held $\text{39.2 million}$ in cash and liquid investments as of September 30, 2025, and stockholders' equity totaled $\text{123.9 million}$.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (WHG) - Marketing Mix: Place

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. brings its investment products to market through a distribution strategy diversified across three main channels: Institutional, Intermediary, and Private Wealth. This structure helps ensure access for a wide range of clients. As of the first quarter of 2025 reporting, the firm's assets under management (AUM) totaled $18.0 Billion (AUM of $17.0 Billion plus $1.0 Billion in AUA as of March 31, 2025), with the latest reported firmwide AUM and advisement at $18.3 Billion as of September 30, 2025.

The largest component of this distribution is the Institutional channel. Institutional separate accounts represent the largest asset channel at 53% of AUM, based on the Q1 2025 asset type breakdown. This channel is serviced alongside the Intermediary channel, which includes sub-advisory relationships. The firm's corporate headquarters is located in Dallas, Texas, which serves as the central hub for these operations and client servicing efforts.

The distribution mix is further detailed by the relative size of the primary channels as reported in early 2025:

Wealth Management accounts for 24% of AUM, focusing on direct client relationships, which includes services like financial planning and trust services through Westwood Trust.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. delivers its investment products via several distinct vehicles to meet client needs. You can access their strategies through these primary product types:

• Separate accounts for institutional mandates.
• Mutual funds under The Westwood Funds® umbrella.
• An expanding Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) platform.

The ETF platform is gaining traction; for example, the Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) reached $150 Million in assets as of September 30, 2025. The firm also launched the Westwood LBRTY Global Equity ETF in Q1 2025. Finance: confirm the current number of distinct ETFs offered by end of Q4 2025.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (WHG) - Marketing Mix: Promotion

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.'s promotion centers on reinforcing its established credibility and communicating the tangible results of its specialized investment vehicles. Core messaging consistently emphasizes a client-first approach, a principle underpinning relationships for over 40 years since the firm's founding in 1983. This longevity is a key differentiator in communications directed toward institutional, intermediary, and private wealth clients.

The Investor Relations program is active, ensuring regular communication with stakeholders. Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. hosted its third quarter 2025 earnings webcast and conference call on October 30, 2025, following the release of results after the close of the New York Stock Exchange. This follows the second quarter 2025 call held on August 8, 2025. Financial stability is promoted through specific figures, such as the declaration of a cash dividend of $0.15 per common share, payable on January 2, 2026, to stockholders of record on December 1, 2025. Firmwide assets under management and advisement totaled $18.3 billion as of the end of the third quarter of 2025, with stockholders' equity reported at $123.9 million and the company carrying no debt.

The digital content strategy is designed to showcase thought leadership and product-specific expertise. This includes dedicated hubs for Investment Insights, ETF Insights, and a Weekly Wealth Blog. Specific, timely content is a regular feature; for instance, November 2025 saw updates such as the 'Energy Update,' 'Tactical Growth | November 2025 Update,' and 'Real Estate Income Update.' This content is used to support the performance of their actively managed products. For example, the Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) amassed approximately $164 million in net assets by the end of November 2025, with an annualized distribution rate of 10.4% for the same period.

Performance highlights are a central promotional theme, particularly for flagship strategies. The Income Opportunity strategy recently received a four-star Morningstar rating upgrade. For the Institutional Class of this fund (WHGIX) as of September 30, 2025, the ten-year Morningstar rating was 4 of 5 stars against 217 funds in its category. The ten-year annualized net-of-fees performance for this strategy was 6.48%.

Strategic expansion is promoted through successful partnerships, notably with WEBs Investments Inc. This collaboration resulted in the launch of eleven new Defined Volatility sector ETFs, expanding the volatility-managed suite. The MDST ETF itself reached $150 million in assets and captured 30% of monthly midstream ETF flows in September 2025, demonstrating traction in the ETF space.

The promotional activities can be summarized by key metrics and content types:

• Client-First Experience: Over 40 years of operation.
• Investor Engagement: Quarterly webcasts for Q3 2025 earnings.
• Digital Content: Publishing Investment Insights and ETF Insights.
• Strategy Performance: Income Opportunity strategy achieved a four-star Morningstar rating upgrade.
• Product Expansion: Launch of eleven new Defined Volatility sector ETFs with WEBs.

The success of specific income-focused ETFs is also a key promotional point, detailing their yield generation capabilities. As of November 26, 2025, the Westwood Salient Enhanced Energy Income ETF (WEEI) showed an annualized distribution rate of 12.8%, with a distribution of $0.225 per share for December 2025.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (WHG) - Marketing Mix: Price

You know that for an asset manager like Westwood Holdings Group, Inc., price is almost entirely about the fee structure, which directly ties to the value of assets managed. The core of Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.'s revenue model rests on advisory fees calculated as a percentage of Assets Under Management (AUM) and Assets Under Advisement (AUA). As of the first quarter of 2025, firmwide AUM/AUA stood at $18.0 billion, comprising $17.0 billion in AUM and $1.0 billion in AUA.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. structures its agreements so that revenues are generally derived from these asset-based fees, which are typically billed quarterly, either in advance or arrears, based on the market value of client AUM. Still, the actual revenue realization can be volatile; for instance, Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.'s first-quarter 2025 revenue of $23.3 million was down 9.1% quarter-over-quarter, partly due to lower performance-based fees.

The firm definitely offers performance-based fees for specific strategies and only for clients deemed "qualified clients" under SEC Rule 205-3. This structure is designed to align compensation with favorable outcomes, though it introduces variability into the revenue stream.

For institutional clients seeking separately managed accounts, the entry point varies by the specific investment strategy. Generally, institutional separate account minimums range from $10 million to $25 million. However, you'll see variations depending on the mandate. For example, the Income Opportunity Strategy has a Separately Managed Account minimum of $25M, while the MLP Separately Managed Account has a lower threshold of $100,000.

Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. actively promotes its Goals-Based Sensible Fees™ model, which is targeted at large accounts, specifically those valued at $10M or greater. This model is a clear attempt to offer fee transparency and alignment, especially for clients with specific return objectives, like pension plans targeting a 7-8% rate of return. Here's the quick math on that structure:

This structure effectively means that for a large account, the fee for fiduciary services is set low, similar to an index-like fee, and the active management component is only charged when positive returns are achieved, up to the 1.00% cap. Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. also offers other performance-based fee arrangements, such as the WW Zero-Based Sensible Fees™ which has a zero base fee plus a linear fee linked to risk-adjusted outperformance, capped at 0.95% for that specific structure.

To summarize the pricing options for institutional separate accounts, you should keep these key figures in mind:

• General Institutional SMA Minimum: $10 million to $25 million.
• Goals-Based Sensible Fees™ Eligibility: Accounts $10M or greater.
• Goals-Based Base Fee: 20 basis points flat.
• Goals-Based Variable Fee Maximum: 1.00% total cap.
• Income Opportunity SMA Minimum: $25 million.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.