Brokerages Set Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) Price Target at $6.17

Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $6.1667.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MPW shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 0.3%

Medical Properties Trust stock opened at $5.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of -4.27 and a beta of 1.43. Medical Properties Trust has a 12-month low of $3.95 and a 12-month high of $6.34. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $5.14 and its 200 day moving average is $4.96. 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a $0.09 dividend. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 11th. This is an increase from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is -30.51%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MPW. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 12.8% during the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 55,468 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 6,308 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 45.5% in the 4th quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 78,377 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 24,515 shares in the last quarter. Marex Group plc acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the 4th quarter valued at about $112,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 399,394 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,997,000 after purchasing an additional 36,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,007,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,037,000 after purchasing an additional 17,200 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

About Medical Properties Trust

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.