New York State Teachers Retirement System Has $9.53 Million Stock Holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 193,078 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 25,259 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.07% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $9,528,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of GLPI. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 203.0% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 512 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 166.2% in the 4th quarter. Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. now owns 1,203 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the period. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $43.21. 1,294,264 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,441,399. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.16 and a 1 year high of $52.45. The company has a market cap of $11.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.60, a PEG ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 7.41 and a current ratio of 7.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.08.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.04%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 109.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GLPI has been the topic of several research reports. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Monday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $48.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Thursday, December 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.09.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang acquired 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $45.00 per share, for a total transaction of $112,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 156,685 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,050,825. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

GLPI is engaged in the business of acquiring, financing, and owning real estate property to be leased to gaming operators in triple-net lease arrangements, pursuant to which the tenant is responsible for all facility maintenance, insurance required in connection with the leased properties and the business conducted on the leased properties, taxes levied on or with respect to the leased properties and all utilities and other services necessary or appropriate for the leased properties and the business conducted on the leased properties.