Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) Rating Lowered to Sell at Wall Street Zen

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

A number of other brokerages have also commented on MPW. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Medical Properties Trust from $4.50 to $5.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Medical Properties Trust presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $6.17.

Medical Properties Trust Price Performance

MPW stock opened at $5.33 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $5.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $4.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.51 and a beta of 1.43. Medical Properties Trust has a 12-month low of $3.92 and a 12-month high of $6.34.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.16 by ($0.03). Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 75.76% and a negative return on equity of 14.82%. The business had revenue of $237.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $244.89 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MPW. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Medical Properties Trust by 389.2% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 9,171,363 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $45,536,000 after acquiring an additional 7,296,680 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 787.8% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,119,122 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,744,000 after purchasing an additional 1,880,422 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 8,881.7% in the 3rd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 998,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $5,062,000 after purchasing an additional 987,294 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust by 211.0% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,223,231 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,202,000 after buying an additional 829,945 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Medical Properties Trust during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,011,000. 71.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.