Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Short Interest Update

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) was the target of a large decrease in short interest during the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,800,000 shares, a decrease of 5.3% from the March 31st total of 5,070,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,420,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $45.00 per share, with a total value 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GLPI. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 416.7% during the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the first quarter worth $42,000. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of GLPI stock traded down $0.47 on Tuesday, reaching $42.73. 1,322,593 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,409,978. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a one year low of $41.80 and a one year high of $52.31. The company has a market cap of $11.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.78, a PEG ratio of 5.31 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $44.78 and a 200-day moving average of $45.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 6.47 and a quick ratio of 6.47.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.26). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 50.05% and a return on equity of 16.79%. The firm had revenue of $376.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $368.44 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is an increase 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.11%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 112.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 21st. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Monday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. 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, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Gaming and Leisure Properties presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.91.

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.