Medical Properties Trust Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) saw some unusual options trading on Monday. Stock traders purchased 97,514 put options on the company. This is an increase of 65% compared to the average daily volume of 59,011 put options.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total value of $178,978.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 221,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,997.70. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman acquired 8,087 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $6.01 per share, for a total transaction of $48,602.87. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 76,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $461,207.40. This trade represents a 11.78 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 172.7% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 33,758 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 21,379 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 411,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,410,000 after acquiring an additional 5,705 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 15.5% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 332,921 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,948,000 after acquiring an additional 44,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 771,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,510,000 after acquiring an additional 8,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

NYSE MPW opened at $4.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $2.69 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.06, a PEG ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.91. 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 has a 12-month low of $2.92 and a 12-month high of $6.55.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.14%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is presently -7.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MPW shares. 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 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 report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.50.

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.