Medical Properties Trust Inc. (NYSE: MPW) agreed to acquire the real estate interests of nine acute care hospitals operated by Steward Health Care System LLC for $1.25 billion.

The price includes a $1.2 billion investment in hospital real estate and a $50 million equity investment in Steward.

Steward, the largest for-profit hospital system in the Massachusetts market, is owned by its management team and private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management…