Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $4.45, but opened at $4.65. Medical Properties Trust shares last traded at $4.34, with a volume of 4,701,765 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho decreased their target price on Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $4.92.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day moving average is $4.10 and its 200-day moving average is $4.65. The company has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a PE ratio of -1.03, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 12th were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -7.58%.

Insider Transactions at Medical Properties Trust

In other news, CAO James Kevin Hanna sold 11,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.72, for a total value of $43,304.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MPW. Future Financial Wealth Managment LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter worth $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 107.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 3,145 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.