Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Trading Down 4.9% – What’s Next?

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW)’s share price was down 4.9% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $5.20 and last traded at $5.21. Approximately 5,376,507 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 69% from the average daily volume of 17,486,291 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.48.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.93 and a quick ratio of 2.93. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $5.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $4.87.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.54) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.75). The business had revenue of $266.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $259.53 million. Medical Properties Trust’s revenue for the quarter was down 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust, Inc. will post 0.87 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.20%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -14.41%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman sold 10,025 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.98, for a total value of $49,924.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 68,653 shares in the company, valued at $341,891.94. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, Director C Reynolds Thompson III sold 20,530 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $89,921.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 54,637 shares in the company, valued at $239,310.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman sold 10,025 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $4.98, for a total value of $49,924.50. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 68,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $341,891.94. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MPW. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 435.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 7,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 6,482 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 166.7% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 107.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

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.