Jefferies analyst Omotayo Okusanya upgraded Medical Properties Trust to Buy from Hold and raised his price target for the shares to $23 from $18. The company last week announced an $859M acquisition of 11 Australian hospitals, leading management to increase fiscal 2019 acquisition guidance to $2.5B from $2.0B prior, Okusanya tells investors in a research note. The analyst believes "this is the start of a strong wave of acquisitions over the next 12 months." He says Medical Properties Trust's valuation "still screens cheap" despite its "superior" growth profile.

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