Wall Street Zen Upgrades Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) to “Hold”

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on MPW. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $4.50 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Medical Properties Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $5.40.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of MPW opened at $4.96 on Friday. Medical Properties Trust has a 52-week low of $3.51 and a 52-week high of $6.34. The company has a quick ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 2.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.67. The company has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of -2.07 and a beta of 1.42.

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 155.20% and a negative return on equity of 28.80%. The firm had revenue of $237.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $244.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 3.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in 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 valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 2,129 shares in the last quarter. AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 2,480 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 7.1% during the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,657 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 2,575 shares in the last quarter. 71.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.