Cerity Partners LLC Has $607,000 Stock Holdings in WPP plc (NYSE:WPP)

Cerity Partners LLC trimmed its stake in shares of WPP plc (NYSE:WPP) by 12.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,830 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,674 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in WPP were worth $607,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of WPP by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 17,402 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $894,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in WPP by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 12,506 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $642,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its position in WPP by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 10,231 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in WPP by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,105 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HF Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of WPP by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,928 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 4.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded WPP from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Barclays cut WPP from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, WPP currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

WPP Price Performance

WPP opened at $35.64 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.23. WPP plc has a fifty-two week low of $31.52 and a fifty-two week high of $57.37. The company has a market cap of $7.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.06 and a beta of 1.06.

WPP Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be paid a $0.9728 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.2%. This is an increase from WPP’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.95. WPP’s dividend payout ratio is 8.04%.

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.