QRG Capital Management Inc. Acquires 9,156 Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 161,582 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 9,156 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.06% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $8,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GLPI. Dodge & Cox increased its position in 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 period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $176,123,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,188,000. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Aew Capital Management L P grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $36,679,000 after acquiring an additional 721,230 shares in the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wedbush set a $55.00 price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Monday, April 28th. Macquarie reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $54.17.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ GLPI traded up $0.29 on Thursday, hitting $46.39. The company's stock had a trading volume of 905,074 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,326,668. The company's 50-day moving average is $47.17 and its 200 day moving average is $48.31. The firm has a market cap of $12.75 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.72. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $43.44 and a 1-year high of $52.60. The company has a quick ratio of 4.12, a current ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.96. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.02% and a net margin of 50.41%. The company had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.27 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This is a positive change from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.73%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.03%.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.58, for a total value of $186,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 136,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,379,270.74. The trade was a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.