WPP WPP PLC

By Ruth Bender

BARCELONA--WPP PLC Chief Executive Martin Sorrell said on Wednesday he would like to see the group's dividend payout ratio increase to 50% eventually, from its target of 45% for this year.

Mr. Sorrell, speaking at the Morgan Stanley TMT Conference in Barcelona, said WPP should reach a payout ratio of around 45% by the end of the year, after which the group's board will decide if it will increase it further.

The founder of WPP, today the largest ad holding company in the world, said that "as a large shareholder" he would like to see the dividend ratio increase to 50%. "Whether the board will carry that, we'll have to see," he said.

Write to Ruth Bender at ruth.bender@wsj.com

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