This firm has a beta of 0.9731. Let's try to break down what W P's beta means in this case. As returns on the market increase, W P returns are expected to increase less than the market. However, during the bear market, the loss on holding W P will be expected to be smaller as well. The beta indicator helps investors understand whether W P moves in the same direction as the rest of the market, and how volatile (i.e., risky) it is compared to the market (i.e., selected benchmark). In other words, if W P deviates very little from the market, it does not add much risk to the portfolio, but it also doesn't increase the expected returns.