Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Receives $53.93 Average Target Price from Analysts

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $54.15.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GLPI. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $190,498.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. This represents a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total transaction of $870,279.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 54,140 shares in the company, valued at $2,674,516. This represents a 24.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 33,222 shares of company stock worth $1,624,947 in the last three months. 4.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gaming and Leisure Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in 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 valued at $292,000 after buying an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $136,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Seeds Investor LLC boosted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Seeds Investor LLC now owns 7,350 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 5,433 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of GLPI stock opened at $49.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $48.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 11.35 and a quick ratio of 11.35. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 1-year low of $41.80 and a 1-year high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $389.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.54 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.92%.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in 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.