Wpp Plc $WPP Shares Bought by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. has increased its stake in WPP PLC by 101.0% in the first quarter, now owning nearly 35,000 shares worth approximately $1.33 million.
• Analyst ratings for WPP show a consensus of "Hold," with some brokerages downgrading the stock to "sell" and others maintaining a "buy" rating.
• The company is set to pay a semi-annual dividend of $0.5033 per share on November 3rd, with a surprisingly high yield of 1,060.0% noted.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP - Free Report) by 101.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,978 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 17,576 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in WPP were worth $1,328,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in WPP by 50.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,448,296 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $92,937,000 after purchasing an additional 824,336 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 worth $24,928,000 after buying an additional 35,412 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of WPP by 83.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 253,640 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $13,037,000 after buying an additional 115,416 shares during the last quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. increased its position in shares of WPP by 104.6% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 141,488 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,272,000 after acquiring an additional 72,342 shares during the period. Finally, Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC raised its stake in WPP by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 93,542 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,551,000 after acquiring an additional 12,330 shares during the last quarter. 4.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WPP shares. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of WPP in a report on Friday, August 8th. Kepler Capital Markets lowered shares of WPP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen downgraded WPP from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of WPP in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, WPP presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

WPP Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WPP traded down $0.0890 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $26.4310. 314,137 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 372,069. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.91. Wpp Plc has a 1 year low of $24.28 and a 1 year high of $57.37. The company has a market cap of $5.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.86.

WPP Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a dividend of $0.5033 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a yield of 1,060.0%. WPP's payout ratio is presently 16.08%.

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.