Aew Capital Management L P Buys 1,030 Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Aew Capital Management L P raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 52,570 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Aew Capital Management L P’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $2,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 468,560 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $23,123,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $381,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 135,050 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,665,000 after acquiring an additional 2,263 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 41.4% in the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 924,388 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $45,619,000 after acquiring an additional 270,667 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $45.00 per share, for a total transaction of $112,500.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 156,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,050,825. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on GLPI shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho decreased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.09.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 2.2 %

GLPI stock traded down $0.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,753,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,411,867. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.91. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.80 and a 1 year high of $52.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.33, a PEG ratio of 5.43 and a beta of 0.94.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.16%. This is a positive change from Gaming and Leisure Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.75%.

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.