Aurora Investment Counsel Increases Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Aurora Investment Counsel increased its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,734 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $1,706,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GLPI. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties during the second quarter worth $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 416.7% during the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 18,500.0% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 578.4% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, CFO Desiree A. Burke sold 12,973 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.02, for a total transaction of $674,855.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 108,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,621,957.46. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 30,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.05, for a total value of $1,546,545.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 208,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,459,298.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Desiree A. Burke sold 12,973 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.02, for a total value of $674,855.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,073 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,621,957.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 49,478 shares of company stock worth $2,495,429. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on GLPI shares. JMP Securities raised their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 21st. Scotiabank increased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $52.11.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI opened at $51.45 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 5.91, a quick ratio of 5.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.80 and a 12 month high of $52.60. The company has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 5.36 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $50.47 and its 200 day moving average is $46.74.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.15). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 52.79% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $380.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 112.18%.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company Profile

GLPI is engaged in the business of acquiring, financing, and owning real estate property to be leased to gaming operators in triple-net lease arrangements, pursuant to which the tenant is responsible for all facility maintenance, insurance required in connection with the leased properties and the business conducted on the leased properties, taxes levied on or with respect to the leased properties and all utilities and other services necessary or appropriate for the leased properties and the business conducted on the leased properties.