Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Barclays from $53.00 to $54.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the real estate investment trust's stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on GLPI. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $53.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.57.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI traded down $1.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $47.74. The stock had a trading volume of 3,185,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,256,171. The company's 50-day moving average price is $49.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.32. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a fifty-two week low of $42.62 and a fifty-two week high of $52.60. 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 $13.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.96. The business had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.27 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.37%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.72, for a total transaction of $248,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 145,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,256,783.16. This trade represents a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,903 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $98,936.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 41,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,147,083.02. This trade represents a 4.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 40,459 shares of company stock worth $2,024,241 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Gaming and Leisure Properties

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the first quarter worth $26,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. CKW Financial Group grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 52.5% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 979 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 91.14% 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.