Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Raises Stake in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. $MPW

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 710.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 434,732 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 381,109 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $2,204,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MPW. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter worth $28,000. Goldstone Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $51,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth about $44,000. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of MPW stock opened at $5.01 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $5.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $4.90. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $3.95 and a 52 week high of $6.34. The stock has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.24 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $244.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Medical Properties Trust, Inc. will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th were issued a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This is a boost from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is currently -30.51%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MPW shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Medical Properties Trust presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust 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.