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. It offers plans and creates marketing and branding campaigns; designs and produces advertisements across various media; and provides media buying services, such as strategy and business development, media investment, data and technology, and content. The company also offers public relations advisory services to clients who are seeking to communicate with a range of stakeholders from consumers to governments and the business and financial communities; and specialist agency services. WPP plc was founded in 1985 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
WPP Price Performance
Shares of LON:WPP traded down GBX 10.20 ($0.12) during trading on Friday, hitting GBX 811.80 ($9.81). The company had a trading volume of 1,591,489 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,771,549. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 835.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 966.38. WPP has a fifty-two week low of GBX 753.60 ($9.11) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,231.50 ($14.88). The firm has a market capitalization of £8.87 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,531.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 164.86.
WPP Cuts Dividend
The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 13th will be issued a GBX 15 ($0.18) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 13th. This represents a yield of 1.68%. WPP's payout ratio is 50.00%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have weighed in on WPP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of WPP from GBX 1,260 ($15.22) to GBX 1,250 ($15.10) and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 8th. Shore Capital reissued a "buy" rating on shares of WPP in a report on Friday, August 5th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of WPP from GBX 1,150 ($13.90) to GBX 950 ($11.48) and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a GBX 950 ($11.48) price objective on shares of WPP in a report on Tuesday, April 26th. Finally, Berenberg Bank cut their price objective on shares of WPP from GBX 1,230 ($14.86) to GBX 915 ($11.06) and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, WPP has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 1,210 ($14.62).
Insider Activity
In other WPP news, insider Thomas Ilube bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 808 ($9.76) per share, with a total value of £8,080 ($9,763.17).