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Investing.com -- WPP (LON:WPP) shares dropped more than 2% Tuesday after analysts at Barclays (LON:BARC) downgraded the stock to “underweight,” citing continued uncertainty and pressure on growth.
The move comes despite WPP’s stock already falling 44% year-to-date, significantly underperforming the DJ STOXX 600 index.
Barclays analysts said the advertising group’s current valuation appears low at 7x 2025E P/E but warned that further downside is likely.
The downgrade reflects concerns over a range of issues, including management changes, client retention and earnings expectations.
Barclays pointed to risks tied to a leadership transition. “On average, Media stocks that have seen a change in management underperform by 10% between the announcement of a change in CEO and the strategy of the new CEO being unveiled,” analysts wrote, referring to their “Changing of the guard” report published June 9.
The report said this period of uncertainty often leads to investor concerns about potential restructuring or write-downs, sometimes referred to as a “kitchen sink” scenario.
WPP is currently defending $1.4 billion in media billings, according to COMvergence, and Barclays noted the company is likely to lose at least part of that based on its recent track record.
In a worst-case scenario of a full loss, this would represent a 50 basis point drag on organic growth. While the immediate financial impact may be limited, Barclays warned that investor sentiment could suffer.
In May, WPP said its first-half profit margins would fall below last year’s levels but reaffirmed guidance for the full year, projecting a recovery in the second half.
Barclays said the market typically reacts negatively to such setups. Analysts also said their estimates for full-year 2025 earnings are 2% to 3% below consensus.
Despite the downgrade, Barclays said it does not believe WPP is fundamentally impaired and noted the new CEO has the potential to reverse recent trends.
However, they expect the turnaround to come with higher spending and reduced margins in the short term.