Brokerages Set Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Target Price at $54.70

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.70.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. 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. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $53.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Barclays raised 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 research note on Tuesday, April 22nd.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $46.53. The stock had a trading volume of 128,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,266,625. The firm has a market cap of $12.79 billion, a PE ratio of 16.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.04. The company has a current ratio of 11.35, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a twelve month low of $42.86 and a twelve month high of $52.60.

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

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.53%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio is 108.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 6,419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total transaction of $323,838.55. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 43,201 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,179,490.45. This represents a 12.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total transaction of $254,450.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 140,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,173,098.17. This represents a 3.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,842 shares of company stock valued at $1,153,961 over the last quarter. 4.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gaming and Leisure Properties

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 106.2% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 44,745 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,155,000 after purchasing an additional 23,050 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 24,560 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 2,498 shares during the period. Aew Capital Management L P increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1,786.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,188,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $768,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% 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.