MutualFundWire.com: Westwood's 2nd ETF Passes 1Y

MutualFundWire.com

The insiders' edge for 40 Act industry executives!
an InvestmentWires' Publication

Friday, May 9, 2025

Westwood's 2nd ETF Passes 1Y

Last week, the folks at a publicly traded Texas asset manager celebrated the first birthday of their second ETF. With one exception, the fund is still powered by the same people as when it launched last spring.

On April 30, Westwood Holdings Group's Brian Casey, Greg Reid, and Parag Sanghani highlighted the one-year anniversary of the Westwood Salient Enhanced Energy Income ETF (WEEI on the Nasdaq). (Sanghani serves as a senior portfolio manager on Westwood's energy team, Reid serves as president of real assets at Westwood, and Casey serves as Westwood's CEO.) Dallas-based Westwood Management Corp. still serves as WEEI's investment advisor, while Alpharetta, Georgia-based Vident Asset Management still serves as trading subadvisor.

WEEI's 1st anniversary was on April 30 (less than a month after the 1st anniversary of Westwood's first ETF). WEEI still comes with an expense ratio of 85 basis points, and it now has about $15.473 million in AUM.

Five of the six same PMs have continued to power WEEI since inception a year ago. The sixth, former Vident senior PM Ryan Dofflemeyer, moved to another firm in fall 2024 and was replaced in February 2025 by another Vident senior PM, Yin Bhuyan. The five other PMs (i.e. those who have stayed on since the beginning) include:

Ted Gardner (aka Frank Gardner III), SVP at Westwood;

Austin Wen, senior PM at Vident;

Rafael Zayas, SVP and head of portfolio management and trading at Vident;

Reid; and

Sanghani.

Reid describes WEEI as "a solution with the potential to provide both attractive income and exposure to the broader energy sector's resiliance." Sanghani puts WEEI's birthday in the context of strong "investor demand for income solutions."

"Over the past year, WEEI has demonstrated its ability to generate consistent cash flow, making it a valuable tool for income-focused investors in any market cycle," Reid states.

"We believe WEEI's combination of dividend income and options premiums has helped investors navigate today’s dynamic environment, allowing the Fund to serve multiple functions within a given portfolio in this way," Sanghani states. "The disciplined approach we consistently take ensures that we continue to seek opportunities that optimize returns, while managing risk effectively."

WEEI remains an actively managed, non-diversified series of Ultimus Managers Trust. The ETF also still uses the same other providers, including:

Brown Brothers Harriman & CO. (BBH) as custodian and transfer agent;

Cohen & Company, Ltd. as independent accounting firm;

Sullivan & Worcester LLP as counsel;

Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC as administrator and fund accountant;

Ultimus' Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC as chief compliance officer provider; and

Ultimus' Northern Lights Distributors, LLC as distributor.