Medical Properties Trust hikes dividend by 3.7%

Medical Properties Trust (MPW) will raise its quarterly distribution by 3.7 percent to 28 cents per share in 2021. This follows a dividend hike of 3.8 percent to $0.27 per share in 2020. Last year the healthcare REIT hiked its quarterly dividend for the 8th straight year and 2021 will mark the 9th year of consecutive annual dividend increases.

The next dividend will be paid on July 8, 2021, to stockholders of record on June 17, 2021. A new annual rate of $1.12 per share yields 5.3% at a stock price of $21.06.

Medical Properties Trust, Inc. is a self-advised real estate investment trust that provides capital to hospitals located throughout the U.S. and other countries. The focus of MPW is exclusively on hospitals, which is where the highest intensity of care is provided to patients. MPT is currently the second-largest non-governmental owner of hospital beds in the U.S. The company's financing model allows owners of hospitals to unlock the value of their underlying real estate, primarily through sale leaseback transactions.