Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $6.1667.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

NYSE:MPW opened at $5.04 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 2.68. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $5.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.27 and a beta of 1.43. Medical Properties Trust has a 1 year low of $3.95 and a 1 year high of $6.34.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.1%. This is a positive change from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is -30.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPW. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 6.4% in the third quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,240,579 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,570,000 after purchasing an additional 313,011 shares during the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP lifted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 115.4% in the second quarter. Caxton Associates LLP now owns 617,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,663,000 after acquiring an additional 330,946 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1,184.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 340,305 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,725,000 after purchasing an additional 313,803 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 710.7% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 434,732 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,204,000 after purchasing an additional 381,109 shares during the period. Finally, Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $691,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

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.