Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Trading Up 5.1% - Here's What Happened

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW - Get Free Report)'s stock price rose 5.1% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $3.92 and last traded at $3.91. Approximately 3,632,964 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 16,259,793 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.72.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Colliers Securities raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $6.50 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Medical Properties Trust to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $4.92.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.94, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 1.29. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $4.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.38.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. Medical Properties Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -7.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 221,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,207,997.70. This trade represents a 12.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO James Kevin Hanna sold 11,641 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.72, for a total value of $43,304.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 366,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,364,916.36. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 47,421 shares of company stock valued at $233,293 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.53% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 21.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,704,785 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $9,973,000 after acquiring an additional 303,628 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 172.7% during 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 bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 411,942 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,410,000 after buying an additional 5,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 44,597 shares during the period. 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 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.