Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Buys 60,000 Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 60.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 160,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 60,000 shares during the period. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $7,706,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. CKW Financial Group grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 617 shares during the period. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ:GLPI traded up $0.72 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $47.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,115,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,290,528. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.95. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.86 and a 1 year high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. Research analysts expect that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given 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 6.55%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 108.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut 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 note on Monday, April 28th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $49.00 to $48.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Mizuho raised their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Wedbush set a $55.00 price objective 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 investment 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, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $54.63.

Insider Activity

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 140,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,173,098.17. This represents a 3.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,903 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.99, for a total value of $98,936.97. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 41,298 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,147,083.02. This represents a 4.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 22,842 shares of company stock valued at $1,153,961. Company insiders own 4.26% 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.