Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Still a Buy?

Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT) saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . 5,442,851 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 16% from the previous session’s volume of 6,487,159 shares.The stock last traded at $4.9190 and had previously closed at $5.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MPT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Maxim Group began coverage on Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $8.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “sell (d-)” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $6.75.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 6.1%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 2.63. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.95 and a beta of 1.39.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $270.34 million during the quarter. Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 28.50% and a negative return on equity of 5.87%. The company’s revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.18 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Medical Properties Trust, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.1%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -78.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MPT. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 499.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,236 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 5,195 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,166 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 2,410 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

Medical Properties Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on acquiring, financing, and owning net-leased hospital facilities. Through sale-leaseback transactions, direct acquisitions and recapitalizations, the company provides capital to healthcare operators while maintaining long-term, triple-net lease agreements. Its portfolio encompasses general acute care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and other healthcare-related real estate assets and is structured to deliver stable, long-duration rental income streams.

Founded in 2003 and based in Birmingham, Alabama, Medical Properties Trust completed its initial public offering in 2004.