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

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Investors bought 48,831 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 72% compared to the typical daily volume of 28,453 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Maxim Group assumed coverage on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $8.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of 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 assumed coverage on Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. They issued a “sell (d-)” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Medical Properties Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. One equities research 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $6.00.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE MPT traded up $0.08 on Thursday, hitting $5.01. 14,586,826 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,911,089. Medical Properties Trust has a 12 month low of $3.95 and a 12 month high of $6.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.63, a current ratio of 2.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.10. The firm has a market cap of $2.99 billion, a PE ratio of -10.88 and a beta of 1.39.

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

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Investors 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 yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 12th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is -78.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 67,433 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 151,116 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $766,000 after purchasing an additional 2,129 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 464,296 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,321,000 after purchasing an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. waypoint wealth counsel grew its position in Medical Properties Trust by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. waypoint wealth counsel now owns 18,808 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 2,215 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 64.2% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,166 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 2,410 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.