Investors Buy Large Volume of Medical Properties Trust Call Options (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders bought 41,204 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 58% compared to the typical volume of 26,039 call options.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPW traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $5.12. The stock had a trading volume of 2,728,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,515,198. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $5.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $4.89. Medical Properties Trust has a fifty-two week low of $3.95 and a fifty-two week high of $6.34. The company has a quick ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.33 and a beta of 1.43.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.03). Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 75.76% and a negative return on equity of 14.82%. The firm had revenue of $237.52 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $244.89 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.0%. This is an increase from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -30.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 3.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 67,433 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 151,116 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $766,000 after purchasing an additional 2,129 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 464,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,321,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares during the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% during the third quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC now owns 180,159 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $913,000 after buying an additional 2,480 shares during the period. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 25.0% during the second quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 12,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MPW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Medical Properties Trust presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

Medical Properties Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on acquiring, financing, and owning net-leased hospital facilities. Through sale-leaseback transactions, direct acquisitions and recapitalizations, the company provides capital to healthcare operators while maintaining long-term, triple-net lease agreements. Its portfolio encompasses general acute care hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and other healthcare-related real estate assets and is structured to deliver stable, long-duration rental income streams.

Founded in 2003 and based in Birmingham, Alabama, Medical Properties Trust completed its initial public offering in 2004.