Stock fact sheet · data as of
WPP plc (WPP): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Ticker symbol WPP · Communication Services · Advertising Agencies · United Kingdom · ADR · Speculative
WPP is an American depositary share (ADR): the US listing of WPP plc, whose own shares trade on its home exchange. It trades in dollars during US hours; currency moves and the home country's rules also affect it, and the depositary bank charges a small yearly fee.
Is WPP undervalued?
At 28.40 (close of 5 Nov 2026), WPP trades 71% below the GLS average fair value of 99.21. That average comes from 3 models run on the latest filings, and 2 of them land above the current price. Margins of safety over 30% are the exception rather than the rule across the ~7,400 stocks we value each night, so the number earns WPP plc the full Value points in the Wheel Score - and a closer look at what the market is pricing in.
The average is built from just 3 models (DCF, 10 Cap, DDM) - the rest returned nothing because an input they need (dividends, free cash flow, book value) is zero or negative - so treat it with more caution than usual.
The nightly engine files WPP under Speculative - it is losing money or its Piotroski health score is 3 or lower - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.
Nine valuation models for WPP
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 114.60 | +304% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | - | - | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share; no value tonight |
| Graham Growth | - | - | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields; no value tonight |
| Lynch | - | - | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25%; no value tonight |
| GLS Growth | - | - | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year; no value tonight |
| 10 Cap | 168.17 | +492% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | - | - | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself; no value tonight |
| DDM | 14.86 | -48% | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend |
| EPV | - | - | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth; no value tonight |
| Zombie (liquidation) | -50.89 | -279% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 0.0000 | -100% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
WPP plc scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the "Piotroski 6 or more" Wheel Trade Filter. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. A GLS Moat score of 4.1/10 is a weak reading: the accounts do not show returns and margins that competitors have been unable to wear down, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.
Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -2.3%, ROE -8.5%, ROA -0.9% - with debt at 2.69 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 22.2%. Debt of 2.69 times equity is on the high side for the sector and is worth checking against the cash flow before treating the stock as a long-term hold.
The dividend yield is 3.56% at a payout ratio of -143%; for a wheel trader holding assigned shares the dividend adds to the covered-call premium, and the ex-dividend date is worth knowing before a call is sold.
Institutional ownership scores 1/10, insider activity 5/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | -2.3% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 4.1 / 10 | ROE | -8.5% |
| Debt / equity | 2.69 | ROA | -0.9% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 22.2% | Payout ratio | -143% |
| Institutions | 1 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 5 · 5 / 10 |
Wheel Score 47: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 47 WPP plc sits in the Weak band. It fails filter 2, a real business, not a gamble - speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score); and filter 4, financially healthy - Piotroski 5/9 (under 6); and filter 5, can repay its debt - 5.7 years to repay its debt (over 3); Red Flags (weak) is its weakest part.
Implied volatility is 44% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% sweet spot the Wheel Score rewards most: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is 4,336 contracts across all expiries - enough for the wheel at normal size.
Volume runs at 374k shares a day on a market cap of $6.1B, with a beta of 0.74 - a low beta, so day-to-day moves are smaller than the market's; the Stability part of the Wheel Score rates that good.
| Filter | Wheel Trade Filter | Result | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Options that actually trade | Passes | Listed options with 1,000+ contracts of open interest and 100+ traded a day |
| 2 | A real business, not a gamble | Fails | speculative (a loss, or a weak Piotroski score) |
| 3 | Below fair value | Passes | Trading below the nine-model average fair value (margin of safety above 0) |
| 4 | Financially healthy | Fails | Piotroski 5/9 (under 6) |
| 5 | Can repay its debt | Fails | 5.7 years to repay its debt (over 3) |
| 6 | No serious red flags | Passes | Red Flags score 60 or more out of 100 (earnings, margins, debt, analysts, filings and price checked the same way for every stock) |
| 7 | A premium worth selling | Passes | Implied volatility 25-80% (enough premium, not a lottery ticket) |
| 8 | Big enough | Passes | Market cap $1 billion or more |
| 9 | Not a penny stock | Passes | Share price $5 or more |
| How it ranks | Rating | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | Strong | 71% below fair value | |
| Premium | Strong | implied volatility 44% | |
| Moat | Fair | moat 4.1/10 | |
| Health | Fair | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Red Flags | Weak | Red Flags score 65/100 | |
| Option trading | Fair | 2,002 contracts a day, 4,336 open interest | |
| Stability | Good | beta 0.74, $6.1B company |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls: a stock must pass all 9 Wheel Trade Filters to score 70, and the score then ranks the ones that pass; the Sunday Scan is the top 10. It is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. How the Wheel Score works · the walkthrough lesson shows how it fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for WPP in the nightly calendar.
No analyst upgrades or downgrades were recorded in the last 30 days.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Advertising Agencies
The 12 companies below are the closest to WPP plc by market cap within the Advertising Agencies industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
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| TTD The Trade Desk, Inc. | 13.23 | 35.20 | +62% | 51Fair | $6.3B |
| MGNI Magnite, Inc. | 22.79 | 23.85 | +4% | 31Weak | $3.3B |
| PTRN Pattern Group Inc. Series A Common Stock | 17.68 | 21.44 | +18% | 37Weak | $2.8B |
| STGW Stagwell Inc. | 11.00 | 6.37 | -73% | 33Weak | $2.7B |
| LFTO Liftoff Mobile, Inc. Common Stock | 15.69 | 14.37 | -9% | 20Weak | $2.7B |
| ZD Ziff Davis, Inc. | 56.75 | 280.86 | +80% | 78Good | $1.9B |
| OMC Omnicom Group Inc. | 87.51 | 112.93 | +23% | 47Weak | $24.0B |
| QNST QuinStreet, Inc. | 19.26 | 46.58 | +59% | 81Good | $1.1B |
| CRTO Criteo S.A. | 15.64 | 98.30 | +84% | 44Weak | $766M |
| ADV Advantage Solutions Inc. | 39.67 | 30.53 | -30% | 11Weak | $527M |
| NEXN Nexxen International Ltd. | 9.12 | 11.13 | +18% | 42Weak | $519M |
| PERI Perion Network Ltd. | 11.45 | 17.33 | +34% | 29Weak | $450M |
⚖ Compare WPP with 7 of them All Communication Services stocks →
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Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about WPP
Is WPP undervalued right now?
By the GLS models, yes: at 28.40 the stock is 71% below the average fair value of 99.21 (data as of 5 Nov 2026). Whether the discount is deserved is the question to research next.
What is the Wheel Score of WPP and what does it mean?
WPP scores 47 out of 100 (Weak) - it fails Wheel Trade Filters 2, 4, 5. The Wheel Score ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned - in two parts: the 9 pass/fail Wheel Trade Filters (busy options, a real business, below fair value, Piotroski 6 or more, debt it can repay, a Red Flags score of 60 or more, implied volatility of 25-80%, a $1 billion company, $5 a share) and a ranking of how strongly a stock passes on value, premium, moat, health, red flags, option trading and stability. A stock that fails any filter stays under 70; 70-84 is Good, 85 and above is Prime. The Sunday Scan is the top 10 that pass, sorted by Wheel Score.
What is the GLS fair value for WPP?
99.21 per share as of 5 Nov 2026 - the simple average of the 3 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does WPP plc report earnings next?
No upcoming earnings date is recorded for WPP in our calendar as of 5 Nov 2026; the Calendars page is refreshed every morning.
Does WPP have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 24 listed contracts with 4,336 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 44% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.
Is WPP an ADR?
Yes. WPP is an American depositary share (ADR): the US listing of WPP plc, whose own shares trade on its home exchange. It trades in dollars during US hours; currency moves and the home country's rules also affect it, and the depositary bank charges a small yearly fee.