Guggenheim Capital LLC Lowers Stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Guggenheim Capital LLC lessened its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 61.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,459 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 138,870 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $4,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of GLPI. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 129.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 896,831 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $46,142,000 after purchasing an additional 505,382 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 84.4% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 14,560 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $749,000 after acquiring an additional 6,665 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 76.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,316 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,646,000 after acquiring an additional 13,965 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 3rd quarter valued at $66,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,259,224 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $641,059,000 after acquiring an additional 889,698 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Gaming and Leisure Properties stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $49.46. The stock had a trading volume of 327,686 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,244,886. The firm's 50 day moving average is $49.44 and its 200 day moving average is $49.37. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a one year low of $42.20 and a one year high of $52.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 11.35, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $389.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.54 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on GLPI. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $53.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced 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 research report on Thursday, January 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $54.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $2,674,516. This represents a 24.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total transaction of $254,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 140,953 shares in the company, valued at $7,173,098.17. This trade represents a 3.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 40,459 shares of company stock valued at $2,024,241 in the last ninety days. 4.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.