2 UK dividend shares trading near 10-year lows to consider buying in 2026
Investing in beaten-down dividend shares with recovery potential can be a great way to lock-in income and value. The falling price often ramps up the yield, providing lucrative returns while the price corrects.
But just because a stock is down, doesn’t necessarily mean it will go up again. How can we differentiate between undervalued companies suffering a minor setback — and those that might never recover?
Identifying good value
Lately, two big UK dividend names have been hammered and now sit close to 10âyear lows: WPP (LSE: WPP) and Domino’s Pizza (LSE:DOM).
On the surface, both offer tempting income, but for very different reasons. Think of them as two shops on your local high street: one struggling with a changing world, the other hit by rising costs and fussier customers.
Yet I believe theyâre both well-positioned to bounce back. Hereâs why.
A shifting ad landscape
WPP makes its money helping brands run ads across TV, billboards, social media and more. Its share price has dropped more than half in the last year as global ad spending has slowed and earnings have fallen.
Recent trading updates showed revenue shrinking and profits squeezed, as clients cut budgets and shifted to inâhouse or cheaper options (such as AI). Subsequently, investors are wary about the companyâs future. But it hasnât given up, implementing an aggressive strategy to tackle the threat of AI.
With the share price having sunk so far, the yield has shot up towards double digits. But that big number comes with a catch: the payout ratio is very high and dividends have already been cut.
If its turnaround plan works and ad spending recovers, the current low price presents an opportunity. If not, further dividend cuts are still on the table.
This is a classic âhigh-risk/high-rewardâ recovery play. Overall, I think it’s worth considering because its sheer size and brand familiarity give it a good chance of bouncing back.
Changing consumer habits
Dominoâs is a different story: it runs the UK master franchise for the pizza brand people order on a rainy Friday night. Despite being a household name, the share price is down about 50% over the past year and is sitting at its lowest level in more than a decade.
Management has blamed weaker consumer demand, rising labour costs and higher bills for franchisees. As a result, it recently cut profit guidance, which understandably spooked the market. This has led to a notable rise in debt, adding to worries in a tougher, slowerâgrowing takeaway market.
On the income side, things look attractive. It offers a yield around 5.5%, with dividends covered by earnings and growing slowly over time. Plus, the core business is still profitable, with strong brand power, huge online ordering (around 90% of sales are digital), and scale advantages in dough, logistics and advertising.
If inflation eases and wage growth settles, margins could improve, and new menu ideas plus more stores might help profits recover.
The bottom line
For UK income investors, WPPâs low valuation and high yield is very attractive, but risky. It could be a value trap if the turnaround stalls.
Dominoâs looks more like a solid takeaway favourite on sale. It has debt and competition risks, but with a steadier, betterâcovered dividend that might be worth thinking about for a longâterm ISA or SIPP dripâfeed.
The post 2 UK dividend shares trading near 10-year lows to consider buying in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool UK.
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Mark Hartley has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Domino’s Pizza Group Plc. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.
