Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP) has received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on WPP in a report on Monday, January 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Zacks Research raised WPP from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut WPP from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th.

WPP Stock Performance

WPP stock opened at $18.85 on Friday. WPP has a 1 year low of $17.25 and a 1 year high of $41.87. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $20.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.29.

WPP (NYSE:WPP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The business services provider reported ($0.80) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.72 by ($3.52). The business had revenue of $4.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.62 billion. Equities research analysts expect that WPP will post 5.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WPP

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WPP. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in WPP by 49.0% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 66,463 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,523,000 after purchasing an additional 21,866 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC boosted its position in shares of WPP by 18.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 12,608 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $441,000 after buying an additional 1,990 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of WPP by 28.3% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 44,518 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,559,000 after buying an additional 9,808 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of WPP by 26.4% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 166,489 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,829,000 after buying an additional 34,737 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in WPP by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 41,521 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,454,000 after acquiring an additional 553 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.34% of the company’s stock.

WPP News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting WPP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management unveiled “Elevate28” — a streamlined operating model with four core divisions and targeted cost savings of about $676 million, giving investors a clearer path to lower overhead and margin recovery. WPP launches new Elevate28 strategy
• Positive Sentiment: WPP is abandoning the old holding-company structure in favor of a single integrated company (four operating units), which management says should speed client decision-making and drive efficiency. WPP abandons holding company model
• Positive Sentiment: WPP expanded its strategic partnership with Adobe to build client transformation and AI-enabled marketing services — a revenue/competency positive if execution follows. WPP, Adobe Expand Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue for the quarter came in above consensus ($4.54B vs. $3.62B), suggesting underlying client activity remains; management provided slides and an earnings presentation for investors to review. Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators view WPP as a contrarian turnaround buy with deep upside if the plan sticks — a speculative thesis that depends heavily on execution and improved market confidence. Seeking Alpha contrarian thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: The full Q4 earnings call transcript and investor materials were published for review; these contain important execution details for investors to parse. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: WPP posted a large EPS miss (-$0.80 vs. $2.72 consensus), a headline weakness that reflects one-off items and restructuring charges; that short-term profit disappointment is pressuring near-term sentiment. Earnings summary
• Negative Sentiment: The board sharply cut the final dividend (to 7.5p from 24.4p) and flagged job cuts and potential asset sales as part of the overhaul — moves that reduce shareholder income and signal significant near-term disruption. WSJ: dividend cut and overhaul
• Negative Sentiment: Market skepticism showed in a jump in short interest (up ~41% month-on-month to ~3.19M shares) and consensus analyst positioning trending toward “Reduce,” raising downside risk if execution slips. Proactive Investors on market reaction

WPP Company Profile

WPP plc (NYSE: WPP) is a British multinational advertising and public relations company headquartered in London, England. Recognized as one of the world’s largest communications services groups, WPP provides a wide array of marketing, advertising, media investment management and data consultancy services. Through its integrated network of agencies—among them Ogilvy, Grey, GroupM and Wavemaker—the company delivers creative content, brand strategy, digital transformation and media planning solutions to clients across virtually every industry.

Established in 1971 by Martin Sorrell as Wire and Plastic Products, the firm underwent a strategic transformation in the 1980s, focusing on acquisitions that expanded its capabilities into advertising and communications.