Graham Capital Management L.P. Buys Shares of 16,967 WPP plc (NYSE:WPP)

Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of WPP plc (NYSE:WPP - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 16,967 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $872,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of WPP by 52,800.0% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 529 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in WPP by 453.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,179 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 966 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in WPP by 57.0% during the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,168 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in WPP by 160.7% in the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,368 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $173,000 after purchasing an additional 2,076 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of WPP in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $194,000. 4.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on WPP shares. StockNews.com downgraded WPP from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of WPP from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of WPP in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays cut shares of WPP from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with 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.com, WPP presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

WPP Price Performance

Shares of WPP stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Monday, hitting $40.11. The stock had a trading volume of 109,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 210,040. WPP plc has a fifty-two week low of $31.52 and a fifty-two week high of $57.37. The firm has a market cap of $8.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.73, a PEG ratio of 7.06 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a fifty day moving average of $37.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.42.

WPP Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.9728 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This is a positive change from WPP's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.95. This represents a yield of 6.2%. WPP's dividend payout ratio is currently 8.04%.

WPP Company 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.