O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Grows Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 33.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,993 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,218 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $818,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,259,224 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $641,059,000 after acquiring an additional 889,698 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,080,860 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $312,316,000 after purchasing an additional 161,689 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,287,118 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $206,468,000 after purchasing an additional 211,657 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $176,123,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,981,567 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $143,592,000 after purchasing an additional 394,069 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Down 1.2 %

Gaming and Leisure Properties stock opened at $45.92 on Wednesday. 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 $12.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.55. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.80 and a 12 month high of $52.60.

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

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.62%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GLPI has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price 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, February 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $54.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total value 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 trade represents a 24.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.72, for a total value of $248,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 145,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,256,783.16. The trade was a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 50,933 shares of company stock worth $2,533,487. Insiders own 4.37% 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.