Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Shares Up 7.9% – Here’s What Happened

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) shares shot up 7.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $4.94 and last traded at $4.90. 10,155,157 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 40% from the average session volume of 16,908,762 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.54.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MPW. Wolfe Research raised shares of Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Colliers Securities raised 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. Finally, 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 note on Friday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.38.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 2.93. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.32. The company’s fifty day moving average is $5.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.92.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last released 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 company 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 earned $0.48 earnings per share. Medical Properties Trust’s revenue for the quarter was down 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust, Inc. will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Medical Properties Trust Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is currently -11.90%.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In other news, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total value of $178,978.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 221,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,997.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman bought 8,087 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.01 per share, with a total value of $48,602.87. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 76,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,207.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total transaction of $178,978.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 221,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,207,997.70. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 63,335 shares of company stock valued at $318,825. Insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MPW. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake 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 worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 6,482 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 107.3% in 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, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.