Nomura Holdings Inc. Makes New Investment in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 66,208 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $3,189,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CKW Financial Group increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.0% in the 4th quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 979 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 337 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 149.8% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Macquarie reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Friday, April 25th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $49.00 to $48.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note 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, Gaming and Leisure Properties has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $54.63.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of GLPI traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $46.95. 548,927 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,291,053. 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 stock has a market cap of $12.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.36, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.86 and a 52 week high of $52.60. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $48.46 and a 200-day moving average of $48.88.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. The firm had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $396.27 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This is a boost from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 111.03%.

Insider Activity

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