Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $53.50.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Wolfe Research upgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $57.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (up previously from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 1st.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock traded down $0.33 on Friday, reaching $50.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,474,199 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,079,242. The company has a quick ratio of 11.35, a current ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a market capitalization of $13.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.63, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $50.62 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.85. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 52-week low of $41.80 and a 52-week high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.25). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.93% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $385.34 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $385.09 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. Gaming and Leisure Properties's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.03%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's payout ratio is 106.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 6,885 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.16, for a total value of $345,351.60. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 149,800 shares in the company, valued at $7,513,968. This trade represents a 4.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2,547.6% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 556 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 578.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company 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.