Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 94.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,693 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 112,022 shares during the period. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC's holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,063 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Seeds Investor LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Seeds Investor LLC now owns 7,350 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 55,881 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,691,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CKW Financial Group grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.0% during the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GLPI shares. Mizuho lifted 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. Wedbush set a $55.00 price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Monday, April 28th. Macquarie reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on 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 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.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.63.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GLPI traded up $0.72 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $47.61. The stock had a trading volume of 2,115,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,293,670. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $42.86 and a 1-year high of $52.60. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $48.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 11.35 and a quick ratio of 11.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.59, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.81.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.96. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The firm had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $396.27 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research 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 company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.55%. This is a boost from Gaming and Leisure Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Gaming and Leisure Properties's payout ratio is currently 108.19%.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total transaction of $254,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 140,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,173,098.17. This trade represents a 3.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,138 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 53,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,673,950.90. This represents a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Corporate insiders own 4.26% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

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.