Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $16.53 Million Position in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 4.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,825,349 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 122,055 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.47% of Medical Properties Trust worth $16,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 93,058,174 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $437,373,000 after buying an additional 7,084,981 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,622,683 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $37,168,000 after purchasing an additional 328,184 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 22.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,908,362 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,775,000 after buying an additional 1,274,481 shares during the period. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Medical Properties Trust by 27.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,376,180 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,861,000 after buying an additional 936,631 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldentree Asset Management LP acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $15,966,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Medical Properties Trust news, Director C Reynolds Thompson III sold 20,530 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $89,921.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 54,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $239,310.06. The trade was a 27.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman bought 8,087 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the director now owns 76,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,207.40. The trade was a 11.78 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

NYSE MPW opened at $4.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.93. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $5.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.91. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a 1 year low of $2.92 and a 1 year high of $6.55. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.02, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.32.

Medical Properties Trust Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.42%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -7.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Colliers Securities upgraded 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.50.

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.