Vanderbilt University Has $1.60 Million Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Vanderbilt University lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 22.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,392 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 5,738 shares during the period. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $1,598,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 52.5% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 979 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 337 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 149.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,029 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the first quarter worth $51,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the fourth quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the fourth quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

NASDAQ GLPI opened at $46.39 on Friday. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.44 and a 52-week high of $52.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 4.12 and a current ratio of 4.12. The company has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.72.

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, hitting analysts' consensus estimates 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 50.41% and a return on equity of 17.02%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.92 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This is a positive change from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 111.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.58, for a total value of $186,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 136,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,379,270.74. This trade represents a 2.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 4.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GLPI has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho lowered 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 report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered 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 report on Monday, April 28th. Macquarie reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wedbush set a $55.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays increased 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $54.17.

Gaming and Leisure Properties 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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