Wall Street Zen Upgrades Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) to “Hold”

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Medical Properties Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

MPW stock opened at $5.10 on Friday. Medical Properties Trust has a one year low of $3.51 and a one year high of $6.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $5.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $4.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of -4.32 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $237.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $244.89 million. Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 75.76% and a negative return on equity of 14.82%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 499.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,236 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 5,195 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Medical Properties Trust by 346.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,274 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 5,645 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.79% of the company’s stock.

About Medical Properties Trust

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.