Medical Properties Trust Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 121,286 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 94% compared to the typical volume of 62,458 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Mizuho cut their target price on Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $4.92.

Medical Properties Trust Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Medical Properties Trust stock opened at $4.78 on Thursday. Medical Properties Trust has a 12-month low of $3.51 and a 12-month high of $6.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $4.37 and its 200-day moving average is $4.64.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.70%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -7.58%.

Insider Activity at Medical Properties Trust

In related news, CAO James Kevin Hanna sold 11,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.72, for a total value of $43,304.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 366,913 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,364,916.36. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Armis Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Novem Group bought a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $101,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,676,474 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,522,000 after acquiring an additional 150,760 shares during the period. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV raised its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 49,953 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 2,661 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 71.79% 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.