Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen cut shares of Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on MPW. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Up 0.1%

MPW stock opened at $5.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $5.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.78. Medical Properties Trust has a 12 month low of $3.51 and a 12 month high of $6.34. The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.31 and a beta of 1.44.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.03). Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 75.76% and a negative return on equity of 14.82%. The company had revenue of $237.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $244.89 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.16 earnings per share. Medical Properties Trust’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 346.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 5,645 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

About Medical Properties Trust

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.