Natixis Advisors LLC Has $1.59 Million Stake in Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in WPP Plc by 36.6%, selling 24,152 shares during the 1st quarter, leaving them with 41,790 shares valued at approximately $1.59 million.
• WPP stock has been underperforming, recently trading down 5.5%, with a current price of $24.72 and a P/E ratio of 4.14, showing significant volatility as it has a 52-week range from $24.52 to $57.37.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on WPP, with one report from Barclays rating it as "underweight", while Deutsche Bank maintains a "buy" rating, resulting in an average rating of "Hold" from research analysts.

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP - Free Report) by 36.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,790 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 24,152 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in WPP were worth $1,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of WPP by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $83,472,000 after acquiring an additional 172,212 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in WPP by 83.5% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 253,640 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $13,037,000 after buying an additional 115,416 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. grew its position in WPP by 104.6% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 141,488 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,272,000 after buying an additional 72,342 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in WPP in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,292,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in WPP by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 484,996 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $24,928,000 after buying an additional 35,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 4.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of WPP from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Kepler Capital Markets cut shares of WPP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold".

WPP Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE WPP traded up $0.46 on Wednesday, hitting $25.01. 397,203 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 366,993. Wpp Plc has a 52-week low of $24.28 and a 52-week high of $57.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The company has a market capitalization of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 1.01. The company's 50-day moving average price is $31.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.73.

WPP Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.5033 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a dividend yield of 1,060.0%. WPP's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 8.21%.

WPP Profile

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.