Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System reduced its stake in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 30.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 759,148 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 326,620 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $2,999,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RiverFront Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 813,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,213,000 after purchasing an additional 42,500 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. BCO Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $103,000. Finally, AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $722,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $5.00 to $9.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.64.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

Medical Properties Trust stock opened at $5.02 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $3.51 and a 12-month high of $6.55.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.38%. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is currently -8.42%.

Medical Properties Trust 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.