Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Short Interest Update

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,480,000 shares, a decrease of 8.4% from the August 31st total of 4,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,320,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock traded down $0.31 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $51.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,173,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,331,315. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.74. The company has a market capitalization of $13.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.36 and a beta of 0.99. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 1-year low of $41.80 and a 1-year high of $52.60. 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 (NASDAQ:GLPI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.95 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.94%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 112.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $52.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $57.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, CFO Desiree A. Burke sold 12,973 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.02, for a total transaction of $674,855.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,073 shares in the company, valued at $5,621,957.46. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CFO Desiree A. Burke sold 12,973 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.02, for a total value of $674,855.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 108,073 shares in the company, valued at $5,621,957.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 30,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.05, for a total value of $1,546,545.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 208,977 shares in the company, valued at $10,459,298.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 49,478 shares of company stock valued at $2,495,429 in the last 90 days. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLPI. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 578.4% in the second 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. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the second quarter worth $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 740 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

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.