NAS10029,447+1.73%S&P7,638+1.14%GOLD$4,384−0.09%BTC$76,375+0.29%VIX15.44−12.82%live tape · as of 05:00 UTC
The Screen · Communication Services · Advertising Agencies
WPP plc
WPP · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $5.6B · 98,655 employees
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…
Screened 2026-09-15 · the tape above runs as of 05:00 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
The Label · The Season, Not the Day
This name holds its distribution label.
WPP plc holds its Distribution at $25.82. The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 39 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-09-15
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 39 days
Price at the screen
$25.82
Valuation
N/A trailing · 7.38 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
0.73
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
28.38%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 28.4% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
36.48%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 36.5% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.02%
Below 5%
Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-15 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 9.8% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 3 covering, consensus None. The average target sits −19% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-15 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
WPP's Low Multiple Hides Shrinking Earnings
Picture an ad agency where clients keep cutting budgets and the bills still arrive on time. WPP sits in exactly that spot, with revenue already down 8 percent and both profit margins and return on equity now negative. The 5.7 times forward earnings multiple looks tempting on the surface, yet the business is clearly moving in the wrong direction and the market's hold rating plus an 18 dollar median target line up with that reality.
We pass on the name despite an ethical screen that clears it. The nine percent margin of safety to our fair value is wafer thin, and the cyclical nature of advertising spend means today's depressed earnings could simply be the new normal rather than a bargain entry point. Low multiples on falling profits have trapped investors in this sector before.
Currency swings, client concentration and the risk that recovery never arrives in full keep the downside real even at these levels. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to United Kingdom and to currency swings; it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
WPP trades on the NYSE (the company is based in United Kingdom). As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-09-17Markup$25.82-6.3%Entry 5
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 6.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 49%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 13%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-08-18Markup$27.55+44.5%Entry 4
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 44.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 49%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 13%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-07-18Markup$19.07+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 49%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 13%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $19.
2026-07-03Markup$19.07+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$19.07Entry 1
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
