Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Sold by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. cut its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 33.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,084 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 4,108 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLPI. Dodge & Cox lifted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.3% during the fourth quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 13,498,634 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $650,094,000 after purchasing an additional 5,797,299 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $176,123,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $49,188,000. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,873,006 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $138,364,000 after acquiring an additional 933,842 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,830,944 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $617,938,000 after acquiring an additional 571,720 shares during the period. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.58, for a total transaction of $186,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 136,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,379,270.74. This represents a 2.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.26% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI opened at $48.07 on Tuesday. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $44.48 and a 12-month high of $52.60. The stock has a market cap of $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 4.12, a quick ratio of 4.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $46.81 and a 200 day moving average of $48.10.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.96. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 50.41% and a return on equity of 17.02%. The company had revenue of $395.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $396.27 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s revenue was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This is a boost from Gaming and Leisure Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 111.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on GLPI shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $54.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Macquarie reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $49.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Wedbush set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.17.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

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.