Swiss National Bank Reduces Position in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW)

Swiss National Bank lowered its holdings in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,121,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 50,000 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $4,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MPW. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 206,680 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 21,260 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $91,000. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 80,028 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 4,231 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank grew its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 89,058 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 3,435 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $283,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MPW has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Mizuho cut 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, December 5th. BNP Paribas raised Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $5.00 to $9.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $5.64.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

MPW opened at $6.18 on Wednesday. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a twelve month low of $3.51 and a twelve month high of $6.55. The stock has a market cap of $3.71 billion, a PE ratio of -1.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $5.08 and its 200-day moving average is $4.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.18%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -8.42%.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In related news, CAO James Kevin Hanna sold 11,641 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $3.72, for a total transaction of $43,304.52. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 366,913 shares in the company, valued at $1,364,916.36. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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.