Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Upgraded at BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note published on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $9.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock, up from their previous target price of $5.00.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on MPW. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday. StockNews.com raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Truist Financial cut 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. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.00 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.64.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Up 4.6 %

MPW stock opened at $5.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -1.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.32. Medical Properties Trust has a 52 week low of $3.51 and a 52 week high of $6.55. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $4.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.38, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 10th will be given a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.36%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 10th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -8.42%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO James Kevin Hanna sold 11,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Armis Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Novem Group purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $101,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,676,474 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,522,000 after purchasing an additional 150,760 shares during the period. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 49,953 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 2,661 shares during the period. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.