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

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) was the target of unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock traders purchased 97,514 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 65% compared to the typical volume of 59,011 put options.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

MPW opened at $4.27 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $4.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.90. Medical Properties Trust has a 52-week low of $2.92 and a 52-week high of $6.55. 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 company has a market cap of $2.56 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.32.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.49%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -7.58%.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In other Medical Properties Trust news, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total transaction of $178,978.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 221,245 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,207,997.70. This trade represents a 12.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman purchased 8,087 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $6.01 per share, with a total value of $48,602.87. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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. Corporate insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 7,084,981 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the first quarter valued at $160,000. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 190,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 19,367 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 31.0% during the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 36,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $173,000 after buying an additional 8,714 shares during the period. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 1st quarter worth $687,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

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.