Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.15.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays initiated coverage on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 target price on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,149 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.80, for a total transaction of $54,922.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 91,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,379,436. The trade was a 1.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $190,498.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. This represents a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,222 shares of company stock worth $1,624,947. 4.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,063 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $292,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $245,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period. Seeds Investor LLC grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Seeds Investor LLC now owns 7,350 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.1% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 5,433 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $280,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of GLPI stock opened at $49.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a quick ratio of 11.35, a current ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a fifty-two week low of $41.80 and a fifty-two week high of $52.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.77.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The firm had revenue of $389.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.54 million. On average, analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.92%.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company Profile

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in acquiring, financing, and owning real estate property to be leased to gaming operators in triple-net lease arrangements. The company was founded on February 13, 2013 and is headquartered in Wyomissing, PA.