GAMMA Investing LLC Raises Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 6,600.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 189,348 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 186,522 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.07% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $9,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of GLPI. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.3% in the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 13,498,634 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $650,094,000 after purchasing an additional 5,797,299 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter worth approximately $176,123,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,188,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,873,006 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $138,364,000 after purchasing an additional 933,842 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aew Capital Management L P raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1,786.5% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI opened at $46.44 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $12.76 billion, a PE ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $42.86 and a fifty-two week high of $52.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a current ratio of 11.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.33 and a 200-day moving average of $48.58.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This is a positive change from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.72%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.03%.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total transaction of $254,450.00. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,903 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $98,936.97. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 41,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,147,083.02. This trade represents a 4.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on 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. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wedbush set a $55.00 price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.50.

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.

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