Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) SVP Matthew Demchyk Sells 1,149 Shares

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,149 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.80, for a total value of $54,922.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 91,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,379,436. This trade represents a 1.24 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

NASDAQ GLPI traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $47.63. The stock had a trading volume of 838,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,079,022. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $49.60 and its 200 day moving average is $49.47. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.80 and a twelve month high of $52.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 11.35 and a quick ratio of 11.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.93% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $385.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $385.09 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors 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 6.38%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is 106.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on GLPI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $52.00 price target (up from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays began coverage on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price target for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.00.

Institutional Trading of Gaming and Leisure Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 94.9% during the 4th quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 4,107 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,503,392 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $77,350,000 after acquiring an additional 173,810 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 741,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,131,000 after buying an additional 11,822 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 889,698 shares during the period. 91.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.