Medical Properties Trust Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:MPW)

Key Points

• On Tuesday, Medical Properties Trust experienced a surge in options trading, with traders purchasing 68,556 put options, representing a substantial increase of approximately 125% compared to the usual volume.
• The real estate investment trust reported a loss in earnings, with an EPS of $0.14 for the last quarter, falling short of the consensus estimate of $0.15, while its quarterly revenue decreased by 9.8% year-over-year.
• Medical Properties Trust declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08, set to be paid on October 9th, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 6.6% amid a current dividend payout ratio of -13.39%.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 68,556 put options on the company. This is an increase of 125% compared to the typical daily volume of 30,430 put options.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

MPW stock traded down $0.02 on Friday, reaching $5.02. 40,223,448 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,247,606. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.02 billion, a PE ratio of -2.10 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 2.76. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $4.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.83. Medical Properties Trust has a 12 month low of $3.51 and a 12 month high of $6.34.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $240.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $231.90 million. Medical Properties Trust had a negative return on equity of 28.80% and a negative net margin of 155.20%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Medical Properties Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 11th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Medical Properties Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -13.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MPW shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $4.50 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $4.50 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Medical Properties Trust from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Medical Properties Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $5.40.

Institutional Trading of Medical Properties Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 98.1% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,180 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 3,060 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Medical Properties Trust in the second quarter worth $44,000. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

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.