Strs Ohio Sells 211,874 Shares of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. $MPW

Strs Ohio lessened its stake in Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) by 94.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,928 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 211,874 shares during the period. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Medical Properties Trust were worth $60,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 8.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 388,254 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,340,000 after acquiring an additional 29,515 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 1st quarter worth about $240,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in shares of 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 valued at $24,644,000 after purchasing an additional 410,374 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 32,690 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $197,000 after buying an additional 3,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its position in Medical Properties Trust by 18.7% in the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 188,287 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 29,641 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Medical Properties Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:MPW opened at $5.04 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a current ratio of 2.68. Medical Properties Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $3.95 and a fifty-two week high of $6.34. The firm has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a PE ratio of -4.27 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $5.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.93.

Medical Properties Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were paid a dividend of $0.09 per share. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.1%. This is a positive change from Medical Properties Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 11th. Medical Properties Trust’s payout ratio is currently -30.51%.

Medical Properties Trust Company 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.