Brokerages Set Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) PT at $5.50

Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $5.50.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MPW shares. Colliers Securities raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 target price for the company in a report on Friday, September 13th. Wolfe Research upgraded Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In other news, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman acquired 8,087 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.01 per share, for a total transaction of $48,602.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 76,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $461,207.40. This trade represents a 11.78 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total transaction of $178,978.80. Following the sale, the director now owns 221,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,207,997.70. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPW. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% during the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 411,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,410,000 after acquiring an additional 5,705 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 332,921 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,948,000 after purchasing an additional 44,597 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Medical Properties Trust by 1.1% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 771,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,510,000 after purchasing an additional 8,300 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter worth $104,000. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MPW opened at $4.21 on Friday. Medical Properties Trust has a 52 week low of $2.92 and a 52 week high of $6.55. The company has a quick ratio of 2.93, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $5.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.92.

Medical Properties Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.60%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -7.58%.

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.