Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP) to Issue Semi-annual Dividend of $0.50

Key Points

• Wpp Plc announced a semi-annual dividend of $0.50 per share, which will be paid on November 3rd to stockholders recorded by October 10th.
• The company has a payout ratio of 56.9%, indicating that its dividend is well-covered by earnings, with expectations of earnings of $5.44 per share next year.
• WPP stock decreased by 0.4% to $24.64, amidst various changes in analyst ratings, with a consensus rating of "Hold" among equities research analysts.

Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP - Get Free Report) declared a semi-annual dividend on Monday, August 11th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of 0.5033 per share by the business services provider on Monday, November 3rd. This represents a dividend yield of 1,060.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th.

WPP has a payout ratio of 56.9% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect WPP to earn $5.44 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.08 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 56.6%.

WPP Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of WPP stock traded up $0.47 on Wednesday, reaching $25.02. The company had a trading volume of 420,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 367,071. The firm has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 1.01. 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 firm's 50-day moving average price is $31.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.73. WPP has a 1 year low of $24.28 and a 1 year high of $57.37.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WPP

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC raised its position in WPP by 27.2% during the 1st 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. raised its position in shares of WPP by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,448,296 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $92,937,000 after acquiring an additional 824,336 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of WPP by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 484,996 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $24,928,000 after acquiring an additional 35,412 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of WPP by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 283,028 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $10,744,000 after acquiring an additional 29,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of WPP by 26.4% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 166,489 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,829,000 after acquiring an additional 34,737 shares in the last quarter. 4.34% of the stock is owned by 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.