Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. $MPW

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 20.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,364,739 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 593,959 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.39% of Medical Properties Trust worth $11,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 211.0% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,223,231 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,202,000 after buying an additional 829,945 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,011,000. HRT Financial LP raised its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 179.1% in the 2nd quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 749,312 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,229,000 after acquiring an additional 480,870 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 3,656.2% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 464,073 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,000,000 after acquiring an additional 451,718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 4,086,848 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,644,000 after purchasing an additional 410,374 shares during the last quarter. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Down 0.3%

MPW stock opened at $5.04 on Thursday. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3.95 and a fifty-two week high of $6.34. The business’s 50-day moving average is $5.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a current ratio of 2.68. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.27 and a beta of 1.43.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were paid a $0.09 dividend. This is a boost from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.1%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -30.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPW has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price 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.