Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Stock Price

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) had its price objective boosted by Wells Fargo & Company from $4.00 to $5.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $4.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.93.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Shares of MPW opened at $5.89 on Monday. 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 $3.53 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.39, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.32. 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 50-day moving average of $4.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.70.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 10th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -8.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 shares were sold at an average price of $3.72, for a total value of $43,304.52. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,742,446 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,446,000 after buying an additional 58,828 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,838,540 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,912,000 after acquiring an additional 118,577 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 60.8% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 6,309,149 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,921,000 after acquiring an additional 2,385,081 shares during the period. Silver Point Capital L.P. increased its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 155.3% during the third quarter. Silver Point Capital L.P. now owns 6,000,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,100,000 after acquiring an additional 3,650,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilsey Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,652,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $18,379,000 after purchasing an additional 362,582 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.