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

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $6.1667.

Several brokerages have recently commented on MPW. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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.

Medical Properties Trust Trading Down 0.3%

Medical Properties Trust stock opened at $5.04 on Tuesday. Medical Properties Trust has a 12-month low of $3.95 and a 12-month high of $6.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.27 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $5.17 and a 200 day moving average of $4.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This is an increase from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -30.51%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 9,713,566 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $48,578,000 after acquiring an additional 639,743 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Medical Properties Trust by 389.2% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,171,363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,536,000 after purchasing an additional 7,296,680 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 0.4% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 7,363,843 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,332,000 after purchasing an additional 28,860 shares in the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 6.4% during the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 7,219,789 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,604,000 after purchasing an additional 436,151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilsey Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,854,997 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,275,000 after buying an additional 614,418 shares in the last quarter. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.