Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Wpp Plc (NYSE:WPP) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of WPP in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of WPP in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of WPP from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th.

WPP Stock Performance

Shares of WPP opened at $27.74 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $37.15 and its 200-day moving average is $40.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.88. WPP has a 12-month low of $27.70 and a 12-month high of $57.37.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On WPP

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WPP. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted 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 worth $255,124,000 after buying an additional 1,436,668 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in WPP by 50.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,448,296 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $92,937,000 after buying an additional 824,336 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in WPP by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 484,996 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $24,928,000 after buying an additional 35,412 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in WPP by 11.6% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 283,028 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,744,000 after buying an additional 29,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in WPP during the 4th quarter worth about $8,724,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.34% of the company’s stock.

About WPP

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.