Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Increases Holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 78,064 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,630 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $3,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 5,433 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $280,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 7,948 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $409,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Financial Group LLC now owns 20,917 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,076,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 54,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,478,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 10,474 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.62, for a total transaction of $509,245.88. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 71,757 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,488,825.34. This represents a 12.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $190,498.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 278,634 shares in the company, valued at $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 have sold 33,222 shares of company stock valued at $1,624,947 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Scotiabank dropped 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 report on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays began coverage on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. 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, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.93.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

Shares of GLPI opened at $49.08 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.80. 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 company has a market capitalization of $13.47 billion, a PE ratio of 17.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $41.80 and a 52-week high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.19%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.29%.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

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.