Applied Fundamental Research LLC Sells 1,997 Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Applied Fundamental Research LLC lowered its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 326,713 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 1,997 shares during the quarter. Gaming and Leisure Properties makes up about 12.3% of Applied Fundamental Research LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Applied Fundamental Research LLC’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $15,734,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GLPI. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,259,224 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $641,059,000 after purchasing an additional 889,698 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,135,195 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $624,356,000 after buying an additional 162,484 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,080,860 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $312,316,000 after acquiring an additional 161,689 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,287,118 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $206,468,000 after acquiring an additional 211,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.0% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,327,466 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $171,198,000 after purchasing an additional 96,028 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 0.7 %

GLPI opened at $49.78 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 11.35, a current ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market cap of $13.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.00. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.80 and a 52 week high of $52.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.78.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last released 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. The company had revenue of $389.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.54 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. On average, equities analysts expect that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.11%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.92%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on GLPI. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related 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 value of $54,922.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 91,620 shares in the company, valued at $4,379,436. The trade was a 1.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $190,498.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares in the company, 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. Insiders sold 56,064 shares of company stock valued at $2,778,908 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in the provision of 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.