Medical Properties Trust Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:MPW)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders purchased 97,514 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 65% compared to the average volume of 59,011 put options.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Medical Properties Trust stock traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $4.46. The company had a trading volume of 8,646,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,657,445. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.38. Medical Properties Trust has a 52 week low of $2.92 and a 52 week high of $6.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $5.03 and a 200-day moving average of $4.91.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 12th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is -7.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Medical Properties Trust news, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total value of $178,978.80. Following the transaction, the director now owns 221,245 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,207,997.70. This represents a 12.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman acquired 8,087 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $6.01 per share, for a total transaction of $48,602.87. Following the purchase, the director now owns 76,740 shares in the company, valued at approximately $461,207.40. This trade represents a 11.78 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MPW. Wolverine Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 27.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 517,866 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,030,000 after purchasing an additional 112,721 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 22.1% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 793,003 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,418,000 after purchasing an additional 143,309 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 378.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 885,983 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,183,000 after acquiring an additional 700,783 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC boosted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 91.5% during the 2nd quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 183,881 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $793,000 after acquiring an additional 87,881 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,367,257 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,998,000 after buying an additional 192,955 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MPW shares. Wolfe Research raised shares of Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Colliers Securities raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.50.

About Medical Properties Trust

Medical Properties Trust, Inc is a self-advised real estate investment trust formed in 2003 to acquire and develop net-leased hospital facilities. From its inception in Birmingham, Alabama, the Company has grown to become one of the world's largest owners of hospital real estate with 441 facilities and approximately 44,000 licensed beds as of September 30, 2023.