Medical Properties Trust Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MPT)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 25,297 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 109% compared to the typical volume of 12,130 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $4.50 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $4.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the second quarter valued at about $347,673,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the second quarter valued at about $30,483,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,285,000. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the second quarter worth $25,302,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 301,176.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,539,997 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,355,000 after purchasing an additional 3,538,822 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 0.5%

Medical Properties Trust stock traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $4.09. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,757,130 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,354,914. Medical Properties Trust has a 12 month low of $3.96 and a 12 month high of $6.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.12 and a quick ratio of 3.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -68.17 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $4.51.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15. Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 2.96% and a negative return on equity of 0.66%. The firm had revenue of $259.28 million during the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.6 EPS for the current year.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.8%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -600.00%.

About Medical Properties Trust

Medical Properties Trust, Inc (NYSE: MPT) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns and finances hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Founded in 2003 by Edward K. Aldag Jr., the company’s business model centers on providing real estate capital to healthcare operators through long-term leases, sale-leaseback transactions, build-to-suit developments and mortgage financing. By specializing in healthcare real estate, MPT aims to deliver steady rental income and asset-based returns while enabling operators to access capital for clinical operations and growth.

The company’s portfolio primarily comprises acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care facilities, behavioral health centers and other specialty hospitals.