Traders Buy High Volume of Medical Properties Trust Put Options (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Traders purchased 118,883 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 120% compared to the typical daily volume of 54,027 put options.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

MPW stock traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $5.21. 5,376,507 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,486,291. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $5.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.87. The company has a market cap of $3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.29. Medical Properties Trust has a one year low of $2.92 and a one year high of $6.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.54) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.75). The business had revenue of $266.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $259.53 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Medical Properties Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.14%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -14.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Colliers Securities upgraded Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, September 13th. BNP Paribas lowered Medical Properties Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $6.00 to $4.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research raised shares of Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Medical Properties Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.22.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In other news, Director C Reynolds Thompson III sold 20,530 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $89,921.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 54,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,310.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director C Reynolds Thompson III sold 20,530 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total transaction of $89,921.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 54,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,310.06. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman purchased 8,087 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $6.01 per share, for a total transaction of $48,602.87. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 76,740 shares in the company, valued at $461,207.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 107.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 3,145 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 435.0% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 7,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 6,482 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 166.7% during the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the first quarter valued at about $43,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.