Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Trading Down 4.7% – Here’s What Happened

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW)’s stock price dropped 4.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $4.24 and last traded at $4.27. Approximately 2,908,583 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 16,626,180 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.48.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPW has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Colliers Securities raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 13th. 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 research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.50.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $4.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of -1.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.32.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.49%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -7.58%.

Insider Activity

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPW. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,622,683 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,168,000 after purchasing an additional 328,184 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 22.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,908,362 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,775,000 after purchasing an additional 1,274,481 shares during the last quarter. Silver Point Capital L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 155.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 3,650,000 shares during the last quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 27.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,376,180 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $18,861,000 after purchasing an additional 936,631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 353.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 2,748,245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

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.