Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 20,908 Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 22.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 112,571 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 20,908 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPW. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 166.7% during the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Medical Properties Trust by 107.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,145 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPW has been the topic of several recent research reports. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Colliers Securities raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, September 13th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.25.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Shares of MPW stock opened at $4.15 on Friday. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a 12-month low of $2.92 and a 12-month high of $6.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $4.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.85. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a PE ratio of -0.98, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.72%. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is -7.58%.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In other news, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman bought 8,087 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.01 per share, for a total transaction of $48,602.87. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 76,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,207.40. The trade was a 11.78 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total value of $178,978.80. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 221,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,997.70. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

About Medical Properties Trust

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.