Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Sold by Park Avenue Securities LLC

Park Avenue Securities LLC decreased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 2.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,377 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 233 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $452,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2,547.6% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 556 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 578.4% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3,191.3% in the third quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 757 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Gaming and Leisure Properties stock opened at $47.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $48.90 and its 200 day moving average is $49.69. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a one year low of $41.80 and a one year high of $52.60. The firm has a market cap of $13.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 11.35 and a quick ratio of 11.35.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.25). The business had revenue of $385.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $385.09 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 51.93%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is 106.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $151,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 146,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,397,252. This represents a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,149 shares of the company’s 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 approximately $4,379,436. The trade was a 1.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 25,490 shares of company stock worth $1,251,189 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on GLPI shares. StockNews.com cut Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $52.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.93.

Gaming and Leisure Properties 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.