WPP (NYSE:WPP) Downgraded by Barclays to "Underweight"

WPP (NYSE:WPP - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Barclays from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded WPP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on WPP in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold".

WPP Stock Up 1.2%

WPP stock traded up $0.42 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $35.17. The company had a trading volume of 293,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 234,138. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $38.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.26. WPP has a 12 month low of $31.52 and a 12 month high of $57.37. The company has a market capitalization of $7.59 billion, a PE ratio of 5.89 and a beta of 1.05.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of WPP by 27.2% during the first quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 6,720,858 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $255,124,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,668 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of WPP by 50.8% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,448,296 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $92,937,000 after purchasing an additional 824,336 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of WPP by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 484,996 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $24,928,000 after purchasing an additional 35,412 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of WPP by 11.6% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 283,028 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $10,744,000 after purchasing an additional 29,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of WPP during the fourth quarter valued at $8,724,000. 4.34% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About WPP

WPP plc, a creative transformation company, provides communications, experience, commerce, and technology services in North America, the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and Eastern Europe. The company operates through three segments: Global Integrated Agencies, Public Relations, and Specialist Agencies.