Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT) Receives $6.75 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $6.75.

Several brokerages have issued reports on MPT. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They set a “sell (d-)” rating for the company. Finally, Maxim Group initiated coverage on Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $8.00 target price on the stock.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 0.4%

Medical Properties Trust stock opened at $5.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 2.63. The firm has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a PE ratio of -11.91 and a beta of 1.39. Medical Properties Trust has a 12-month low of $3.95 and a 12-month high of $6.47.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.03 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.12). Medical Properties Trust had a negative return on equity of 5.87% and a negative net margin of 28.50%.The company had revenue of $270.34 million for the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.18 EPS. Medical Properties Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is -78.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MPT. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 499.0% during the fourth 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 period. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 64.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,166 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 2,410 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.