Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT) Sets New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Medical Properties Trust shares hit a new 52-week low, falling to $2.97 before last trading at $2.98. The stock is well below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $3.71 and $4.45, respectively.
• Analyst sentiment is notably negative: Wells Fargo lowered its price target to $3.80 with an “underweight” rating, while the consensus rating is “Sell” with an average target of $4.15.
• The company reported quarterly EPS in line with estimates at $0.15 and revenue of $259.28 million, up 7.9% year over year. It paid a $0.09 quarterly dividend, representing a 12.6% annualized yield, but its payout ratio remains highly negative at -600%.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPT - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday. The stock traded as low as $2.97 and last traded at $2.98, with a volume of 558,486 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MPT. Weiss Ratings cut Medical Properties Trust from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d)" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $3.80 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Sell" and an average target price of $4.15.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $4.45. The firm has a market cap of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.50 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 3.12, a quick ratio of 3.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 10th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.15. The firm had revenue of $259.28 million during the quarter. Medical Properties Trust had a negative return on equity of 0.66% and a negative net margin of 2.96%. Medical Properties Trust's revenue for the quarter was up 7.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust, Inc. will post 0.53 EPS for the current year.

Medical Properties Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 10th were given a dividend of $0.09 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 10th. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.6%. Medical Properties Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -600.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPT. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $347,673,000. State Street Corp purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $118,522,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,903,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,483,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,285,000. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Medical Properties Trust

Medical Properties Trust, Inc NYSE: MPT is a real estate investment trust focused on owning and investing in healthcare facilities. The company primarily acquires and leases hospitals and other healthcare properties to healthcare operators under long-term agreements, providing real estate capital that can support facility expansion, modernization and operations.

Its portfolio has historically included general acute-care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, behavioral health facilities and other specialized healthcare properties.

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