Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) Shares Sold by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC trimmed its stake in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 22.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 155,156 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 45,190 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 353.5% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,525,714 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $20,625,000 after purchasing an additional 2,748,245 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 22.6% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,908,362 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,274,481 shares in the last quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 27.2% during the second quarter. Wilsey Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,376,180 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,861,000 after acquiring an additional 936,631 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 378.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 885,983 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $5,183,000 after acquiring an additional 700,783 shares in the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management US Inc. acquired a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,045,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $6.00 to $5.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Wolfe Research raised Medical Properties Trust to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Colliers Securities upgraded Medical Properties Trust from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $6.50 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, September 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $5.25.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Shares of MPW stock opened at $4.14 on Monday. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $2.92 and a fifty-two week high of $6.55. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $4.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The firm has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.98, a PEG ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.29.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.73%. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently -7.58%.

Insider Activity at Medical Properties Trust

In other news, Director Michael G. Stewart sold 32,780 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.46, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 12.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Elizabeth N. Pitman acquired 8,087 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $6.01 per share, with a total value of $48,602.87. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 76,740 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $461,207.40. This represents a 11.78 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.53% of the company’s stock.

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.