The WACC of WPP PLC (WPP.L) is 7.6%.
| Range | Selected | |
| Cost of equity | 9.90% - 13.70% | 11.80% |
| Tax rate | 29.60% - 35.50% | 32.55% |
| Cost of debt | 4.30% - 6.20% | 5.25% |
| WACC | 6.4% - 8.8% | 7.6% |
| Category | Low | High |
| Long-term bond rate | 4.0% | 4.5% |
| Equity market risk premium | 6.0% | 7.0% |
| Adjusted beta | 0.98 | 1.24 |
| Additional risk adjustments | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| Cost of equity | 9.90% | 13.70% |
| Tax rate | 29.60% | 35.50% |
| Debt/Equity ratio | 1.01 | 1.01 |
| Cost of debt | 4.30% | 6.20% |
| After-tax WACC | 6.4% | 8.8% |
| Selected WACC | 7.6% | |
The Cost of Equity reflects the return a company needs to deliver to shareholders to justify the risk of investing in its shares. It’s computed using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), which blends the risk-free rate, the stock’s beta, and the market risk premium.
This method evaluates the stock’s risk compared to a safe investment and the market’s overall volatility.
Here’s how we figure out the cost of equity for WPP.L:
cost_of_equity (11.80%) = risk_free_rate (4.25%) + equity_risk_premium (6.50%) * adjusted_beta (0.98) + risk_adjustments (0.25%)
We include the risk adjustments, which range from 0% to 1%, to keep our WACC conservatives, especially for companies traded in developing markets.