5,474 Shares in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Purchased by Apella Capital LLC

Apella Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,474 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GLPI. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 979 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 149.8% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,029 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 617 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 0.9%

GLPI traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $46.84. 938,897 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,327,460. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.86 and a 52 week 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $47.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96. The company had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $396.27 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. The firm's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.66%. This is a boost from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Gaming and Leisure Properties's payout ratio is currently 111.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total transaction of $254,450.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 140,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,173,098.17. The trade was a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GLPI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $49.00 to $48.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Macquarie reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.50.

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.