Traders Purchase Large Volume of Medical Properties Trust Call Options (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 43,691 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 51% compared to the average volume of 28,936 call options.

Medical Properties Trust Trading Up 2.2%

Medical Properties Trust stock opened at $5.78 on Thursday. Medical Properties Trust has a 12 month low of $3.51 and a 12 month high of $6.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $5.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.68. The firm has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of -2.42 and a beta of 1.42.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $237.52 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $244.89 million. Medical Properties Trust had a negative return on equity of 28.80% and a negative net margin of 155.20%.The company’s revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.2%. This is an increase from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -30.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MPW. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 note on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Medical Properties Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $5.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MPW. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the first quarter worth $41,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 5,645 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter valued at $39,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.