Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 593,959 Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. $MPW

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to 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.’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $11,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 211.0% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,223,231 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,202,000 after purchasing an additional 829,945 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,011,000. HRT Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 179.1% during the 2nd quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 749,312 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,229,000 after acquiring an additional 480,870 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $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 raised 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 worth $24,644,000 after acquiring an additional 410,374 shares during the period. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MPW opened at $5.04 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.27 and a beta of 1.43. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a 52-week low of $3.95 and a 52-week high of $6.34. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $5.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $4.96.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a $0.09 dividend. This is an increase from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. This represents a $0.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. Medical Properties Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -30.51%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Medical Properties Trust from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust 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.