Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Trims Stock Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. trimmed its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 97.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,916 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 164,665 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P.'s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GLPI. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,063 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $245,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the period. Seeds Investor LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Seeds Investor LLC now owns 7,350 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 55,881 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,691,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CKW Financial Group raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GLPI shares. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Macquarie reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wedbush set a $55.00 price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.63.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.72, for a total transaction of $248,600.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total value of $57,412.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 53,002 shares in the company, valued at $2,673,950.90. This represents a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 22,842 shares of company stock valued at $1,153,961. Company insiders own 4.26% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI traded down $0.92 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $46.38. 2,012,446 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,296,777. The company has a current ratio of 11.35, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company's 50 day moving average price is $48.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.86 and a 12 month high of $52.60.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The company had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $396.27 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.73%. This is a positive change from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Gaming and Leisure Properties's payout ratio is currently 111.03%.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company Profile

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.