Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Trading 8.5% Higher – Should You Buy?

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW)’s share price rose 8.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $4.66 and last traded at $4.78. Approximately 1,448,224 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 89% from the average daily volume of 13,713,039 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.92.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.11, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $4.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.65.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.83%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -7.58%.

Insider Activity at Medical Properties Trust

In related news, CAO James Kevin Hanna sold 11,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.72, for a total transaction of $43,304.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 366,913 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,364,916.36. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MPW. Silver Point Capital L.P. grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 155.3% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Point Capital L.P. now owns 6,000,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,650,000 shares in the last quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,652,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,379,000 after buying an additional 362,582 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 353.5% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,525,714 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $20,625,000 after buying an additional 2,748,245 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,912,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $11,503,000 after acquiring an additional 86,925 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,704,785 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,973,000 after acquiring an additional 303,628 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

About Medical Properties Trust

Medical Properties Trust, Inc is a self-advised real estate investment trust formed in 2003 to acquire and develop net-leased hospital facilities. From its inception in Birmingham, Alabama, the Company has grown to become one of the world's largest owners of hospital real estate with 441 facilities and approximately 44,000 licensed beds as of September 30, 2023.