Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Holdings Trimmed by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,905 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 975 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 106.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 44,745 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,155,000 after acquiring an additional 23,050 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 11.3% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 24,560 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 2,498 shares during the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at $693,000. Aew Capital Management L P increased its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1,786.5% in the 4th quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 761,600 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,679,000 after purchasing an additional 721,230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $49,188,000. 91.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

NASDAQ GLPI opened at $51.12 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.74. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.80 and a 12-month high of $52.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 11.35, a current ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $389.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.54 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is 105.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley cut Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Gaming and Leisure Properties has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.96.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,329,850.56. This trade represents a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total transaction of $870,279.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,674,516. This represents a 24.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 56,064 shares of company stock valued at $2,778,908. Corporate insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in the provision of 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.