WPP (LON:WPP) Given “Buy” Rating at Berenberg Bank

WPP (LON:WPP)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Berenberg Bank in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,London Stock Exchange reports. They presently have a GBX 405 target price on the stock. Berenberg Bank’s price target indicates a potential upside of 3.85% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WPP. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of WPP from GBX 275 to GBX 285 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on WPP from GBX 350 to GBX 390 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 360.

WPP Price Performance

Shares of LON:WPP opened at GBX 390 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 268.98. The stock has a market capitalization of £4.21 billion, a PE ratio of -19.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 13.47 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 277.32 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 269.30. WPP has a twelve month low of GBX 218.50 and a twelve month high of GBX 409.50.

WPP (LON:WPP) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The company reported GBX 1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. WPP had a negative net margin of 1.59% and a negative return on equity of 7.54%. Equities research analysts expect that WPP will post 81.6125654 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Peter Agnefjäll acquired 75,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 281 per share, for a total transaction of £210,750. Also, insider Cindy Rose sold 88,227 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 282, for a total transaction of £248,800.14. Corporate insiders own 2.04% of the company’s stock.

WPP News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting WPP this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WPP reported a 4.7% like-for-like decline in first-half adjusted revenue, but the result reportedly showed signs of stabilization and recovery. Investors appear to have focused on improving trends rather than the still-negative growth rate. WPP shares soar as advertising group shows signs of recovery
• Positive Sentiment: Profit growth outpaced the revenue decline, indicating that cost controls and efficiency measures are supporting margins. This helped drive reports of a more than 20% share-price jump. WPP jumps over 24pc as profit growth defies revenue slide
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s overhaul is beginning to produce results, easing concerns about WPP’s turnaround and prompting investors to reassess the company’s recovery prospects. WPP shares jump more than 20% as overhaul begins to bear fruit
• Neutral Sentiment: The market reaction reflects a “turnaround bounce” rather than confirmation that WPP has fully returned to sustainable growth; investors will likely look for further evidence in coming quarters. WPP Gets a Turnaround Bounce, Not a Victory Lap
• Negative Sentiment: WPP is cutting jobs while revenue continues to fall, underscoring ongoing restructuring needs and weak demand across parts of the advertising market. WPP slashes jobs as revenue continues to fall

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.