Medical Properties Trust Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:MPT)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Stock traders acquired 15,473 call options on the company. This is an increase of 12% compared to the average daily volume of 13,801 call options.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPT traded down $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $3.43. The company had a trading volume of 4,789,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,688,919. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.12 and a quick ratio of 3.12. The company has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -57.17 and a beta of 1.40. Medical Properties Trust has a fifty-two week low of $3.39 and a fifty-two week high of $6.47. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $4.28.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.15. The business had revenue of $259.28 million for the quarter. Medical Properties Trust had a negative return on equity of 0.66% and a negative net margin of 2.96%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th will be issued a $0.09 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 10.5%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -600.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Medical Properties Trust from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $4.50 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $3.80 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus target price of $4.15.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MPT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the second quarter valued at about $347,673,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the second quarter valued at $33,903,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter worth $30,483,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $28,285,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the second quarter worth $25,302,000. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

Medical Properties Trust, Inc (NYSE: MPT) is a real estate investment trust focused on healthcare facilities. The company acquires, develops, owns and leases properties used by healthcare providers, with an emphasis on hospitals and other facilities that deliver essential medical services.

Medical Properties Trust has historically invested primarily in acute-care hospitals, behavioral health facilities, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals and other specialized healthcare properties. Its real estate is generally leased to hospital and healthcare operators under long-term arrangements, while its investments have also included mortgage loans and other healthcare-related financing.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Medical Properties Trust has built a portfolio spanning the United States and selected international markets, including the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.