Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) Stock

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $53.25 to $57.50 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the real estate investment trust's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.37% from the stock's current price.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $57.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $52.00 price target (up previously from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $53.32.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

GLPI traded down $0.11 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $51.17. The stock had a trading volume of 1,372,026 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,344. 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 firm has a market cap of $14.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $50.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $48.51. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a one year low of $41.80 and a one year high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $385.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $385.09 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Desiree A. Burke sold 12,973 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.02, for a total transaction of $674,855.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 108,073 shares in the company, valued at $5,621,957.46. The trade was a 10.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $345,351.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 149,800 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,513,968. The trade was a 4.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,858 shares of company stock valued at $1,171,377 over the last quarter. Insiders own 4.37% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Gaming and Leisure Properties

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the second quarter worth $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 18,500.0% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 744 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is currently 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.