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

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders purchased 41,204 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 58% compared to the typical volume of 26,039 call options.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

Shares of Medical Properties Trust stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $5.12. The company had a trading volume of 2,728,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,515,198. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $4.89. Medical Properties Trust has a 1-year low of $3.95 and a 1-year high of $6.34. The company has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.33 and a beta of 1.43.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $244.89 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.16 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th were issued a $0.09 dividend. This is an increase from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -30.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPW. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 499.0% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,236 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 5,195 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 346.5% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 5,645 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of 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 cut shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust Company 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.