WPP (LON:WPP) Sets New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

WPP plc (LON:WPP) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as GBX 251 and last traded at GBX 251.80, with a volume of 18673064 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 272.40.

WPP News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting WPP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Insiders bought stock — CEO Philip Jansen purchased 50,000 shares at GBX 255 and Cindy Rose bought 50,000 at GBX 269, which signals management confidence and can support investor sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: WPP unveiled the Elevate28 initiative to simplify agency complexity and consolidate operating models; if executed, this could improve margins and client delivery over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership moves — Jon Cook’s memo as he takes the WPP Creative CEO role and promotions in WPP Media underline a refreshed senior team focused on growth and creative capability. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ongoing strategy review and internal leadership reshuffles are expected; these are common in turnarounds and their impact will be visible only over quarters. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: WPP announced a sweeping overhaul to merge agencies and target roughly £500m of annual cost savings — the scale invites one‑off charges, execution risk and staff disruption, which has unsettled investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Weak quarterly results: WPP reported GBX (20) EPS for the quarter, highlighting near‑term margin pressure and adding to concerns about profitability while the restructure is implemented. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reported market reaction and reputational/legal risk — media coverage says shares plunged after the turnaround announcement and there are reports of confidential client data being exposed amid litigation, which increases uncertainty. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WPP has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of WPP from GBX 420 to GBX 360 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a GBX 365 price objective on shares of WPP in a report on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of GBX 362.50.

WPP Stock Down 2.2%

The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 215.67. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 303.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 331.34. The firm has a market capitalization of £3.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.03, a P/E/G ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 1.13.

WPP (LON:WPP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported GBX (20) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WPP had a return on equity of 5.92% and a net margin of 1.37%. On average, equities analysts predict that WPP plc will post 81.6125654 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Philip Jansen purchased 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 255 per share, with a total value of £127,500. Also, insider Cindy Rose bought 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 269 per share, with a total value of £134,500. Company insiders own 2.02% of the company’s stock.

WPP Company Profile

WPP is the creative transformation company, using the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities.

We are a world leader in marketing services, with deep AI, data and technology capabilities, global presence and unrivalled creative talent.