Medical Properties Trust Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) saw unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors purchased 97,514 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 65% compared to the average volume of 59,011 put options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director C Reynolds Thompson III sold 20,530 shares of Medical Properties Trust stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.38, for a total value of $89,921.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 54,637 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $239,310.06. The trade was a 27.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman bought 8,087 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $6.01 per share, for a total transaction of $48,602.87. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 76,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $461,207.40. This represents a 11.78 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 8.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 93,058,174 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $437,373,000 after acquiring an additional 7,084,981 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 1st quarter valued at about $160,000. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 190,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $893,000 after buying an additional 19,367 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 31.0% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 36,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $173,000 after buying an additional 8,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 1st quarter valued at about $687,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MPW traded up $0.15 during trading on Monday, reaching $4.46. 8,646,045 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 16,657,445. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $5.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.91. Medical Properties Trust has a twelve month low of $2.92 and a twelve month high of $6.55. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.17%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently -7.58%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on MPW shares. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Colliers Securities upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Medical Properties Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.50.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

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.