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

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) saw a significant decline in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,980,000 shares, a decline of 8.9% from the January 15th total of 4,370,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on GLPI. StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley cut Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays initiated coverage on Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price target for the company. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,140 shares in the company, valued at $2,674,516. This represents a 24.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. The trade was a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,222 shares of company stock valued at $1,624,947. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,063 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,082 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Seeds Investor LLC raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Seeds Investor LLC now owns 7,350 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.1% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

GLPI opened at $49.04 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $48.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 52 week low of $41.80 and a 52 week high of $52.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a current ratio of 11.35.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.20%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.29%.

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.