Invesco Ltd. Purchases 172,212 Shares of WPP plc (NYSE:WPP)

Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of WPP plc (NYSE:WPP - Free Report) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,623,960 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 172,212 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned 0.75% of WPP worth $83,472,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of WPP by 52,800.0% in the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 529 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in WPP by 453.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,179 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 966 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in WPP by 92.4% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of WPP during the 3rd quarter worth about $84,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of WPP by 57.0% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 2,168 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 4.34% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WPP shares. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded shares of WPP from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of WPP in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. They issued a "neutral" rating for the company. Finally, Barclays lowered WPP from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, WPP presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

WPP Stock Performance

NYSE WPP traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $36.42. 277,003 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 201,525. The company has a market capitalization of $7.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.06 and a beta of 1.06. The company's 50-day moving average is $41.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.59. WPP plc has a one year low of $31.52 and a one year high of $57.37.

WPP Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.9728 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 6.2%. This is a positive change from WPP's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.95. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. WPP's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 8.04%.

WPP Profile

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.