First Trust Advisors LP Grows Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 70.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 210,619 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 86,715 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.08% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $10,143,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 129.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 896,831 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $46,142,000 after acquiring an additional 505,382 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 84.4% during the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 14,560 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 6,665 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the third quarter worth about $66,000. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,259,224 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $641,059,000 after buying an additional 889,698 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 741,120 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,131,000 after buying an additional 11,822 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.20. 1,617,798 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,261,402. The firm has a market cap of $12.97 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a current ratio of 11.35. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.86 and a 1 year high of $52.60. The stock's fifty day moving average is $49.28 and its 200 day moving average is $49.19.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.96. The company had revenue of $395.24 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.27 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.44%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 108.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Macquarie restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.70.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,138 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total value of $57,412.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 53,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,673,950.90. This represents a 2.10 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total value of $254,450.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 140,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,173,098.17. The trade was a 3.43 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,842 shares of company stock worth $1,153,961 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 4.37% of the company's stock.

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.