When a UK share has plunged to decade lows, I tend to see two possibilities. It could be a money pit, and a potential wipeout for anyone throwing good money after bad. Or it might just be a golden opportunity for investors willing to take a chance. Remember what happened to Rolls-Royce Holdings since it was in that kind of position?
Whether the future might start brightening for WPP (LSE: WPP), however, is a tricky question to try to answer right now. Once the world’s largest advertising company, its more recent woes have seen it unceremoniously kicked out of the FTSE 100 — the top rank for UK shares.
Am I wrong when I think I see a bit of sunshine peeking out from behind the clouds? We should get some insights on 26 February, along with results for 2025.
A turnaround year?
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m expecting full-year accounts to make painful reading. But among the mix I think we could see the signs of a believable path back to successful growth.
After all, WPP’s new CEO, Cindy Rose, took the helm as recently as September 2025. And she’s surely going to be painting her picture of the future of the company rather than wanting to dwell on the past.
Hmm, there really might be a parallel with Rolls-Royce. The storming recovery in that case was also kicked off by the appointment of a new boss, Tufan Erginbilgic. Is it an omen? Let’s hope so.
Overcoming the past
WPP has been losing clients to more modern, AI-powered agencies. The company does include AI tools among its offerings. But it really hasn’t been at the technological leading edge. With October’s third-quarter update, the new boss confirmed: “I acknowledge that our recent performance is unacceptable and we are taking action to address this.“
There’s no surprise there. But what comes next? She said “we will position our offering to be much simpler, more integrated, powered by data and AI, efficiently priced and designed to deliver growth and business outcomes for our clients.” There are other planned changes, including “dramatically simplifying how we organise ourselves internally,” and “a disciplined approach to capital allocation with a focus on cost efficiency and maintaining a strong balance sheet.”
Is this similar to another UK share, this time insurance giant Aviva? Before its refocus, Aviva was stuck in old ways. Bloated, complex and confusing, it needed to be simpler, leaner and more efficient. Again, fresh management did the trick. CEO Amanda Blanc pulled off the needed transformation in impressive style.
Seeing the light
Maybe I’m being optimistic, but Cindy Rose strikes me as someone in a similar mould to these other turnaround champions. And she’s facing up to the reality, not implying any quick fix. “There is a lot to do,” she said, “and it will take time to see the impact.”
Will I consider buying WPP shares? I’ll wait for the results, but I’m edging towards positive. I bought Aviva, missed Rolls-Royce — maybe I might make it two out of three.
