5,654 Shares in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Acquired by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 5,654 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $279,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in GLPI. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,572,599 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,711,432,000 after buying an additional 555,332 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.2% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 18,474,328 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $961,773,000 after buying an additional 393,420 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 13.6% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,515,906 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $493,511,000 after buying an additional 1,255,222 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,183,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $445,054,000 after buying an additional 214,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 15.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,771,108 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $399,523,000 after buying an additional 1,188,397 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI opened at $42.81 on Tuesday. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.44 and a twelve month high of $52.45. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $45.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.05. The company has a market capitalization of $11.62 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 5.37 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a quick ratio of 7.41, a current ratio of 7.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.10%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GLPI. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and set a $53.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $52.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang purchased 2,500 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $45.00 per share, for a total transaction of $112,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,050,825. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

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.