WPP (NYSE:WPP) Rating Lowered to "Sell" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• WPP has been downgraded from a "hold" to a "sell" rating by Wall Street Zen, amidst mixed opinions from other research firms regarding the stock's outlook.
• The current consensus rating for WPP is "Hold," with a total of two sell ratings, two hold ratings, and one buy rating from analysts.
• Despite the recent downgrade, some hedge funds have significantly increased their stakes in WPP, indicating ongoing interest in the company.

WPP (NYSE:WPP - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on WPP. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Kepler Capital Markets downgraded WPP from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Friday. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold".

WPP Stock Performance

NYSE:WPP opened at $24.72 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.07. WPP has a 1 year low of $24.52 and a 1 year high of $57.37. The company has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 1.01.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On WPP

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assetmark Inc. grew its position in WPP by 88.3% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 996 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of WPP by 41.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,990 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $70,000 after acquiring an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of WPP by 3,450.0% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,917 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 1,863 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of WPP in the 1st quarter valued at about $75,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of WPP by 57.0% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,168 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. 4.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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