Medical Properties (MPW) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note
The most recent trading session ended with Medical Properties (MPW) standing at $4.19, reflecting a +0.24% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.11%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.12%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.41%.
The health care real estate investment trust's shares have seen an increase of 22.94% over the last month, surpassing the Finance sector's gain of 4.89% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.7%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Medical Properties in its upcoming release. On that day, Medical Properties is projected to report earnings of $0.25 per share, which would represent a year-over-year decline of 32.43%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $287.04 million, showing a 18.04% drop compared to the year-ago quarter.
Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $1.19 per share and revenue of $1.23 billion. These totals would mark changes of -25.16% and +41.47%, respectively, from last year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Medical Properties. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 5.68% lower within the past month. Currently, Medical Properties is carrying a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Medical Properties has a Forward P/E ratio of 3.52 right now. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 11.31, which means Medical Properties is trading at a discount to the group.
It's also important to note that MPW currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.17. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The REIT and Equity Trust - Other was holding an average PEG ratio of 2.4 at yesterday's closing price.
The REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry is part of the Finance sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 147, positioning it in the bottom 42% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
To follow MPW in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.
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Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (MPW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
