KBC Group NV Buys 161,976 Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 165.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 259,619 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 161,976 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned about 0.09% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $12,503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 647.0% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,025,526 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $104,213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,754,370 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 889,698 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,075,461 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $209,682,000 after purchasing an additional 821,634 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 6,162.9% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 812,981 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $41,820,000 after purchasing an additional 800,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the third quarter worth $27,057,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on GLPI shares. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. JMP Securities reiterated a "market outperform" rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $53.93.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Gaming and Leisure Properties stock traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $48.69. 242,880 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 985,136. The company has a market capitalization of $13.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $48.80 and a 200 day moving average of $49.80. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.80 and a 1-year high of $52.60. The company has a quick ratio of 11.35, a current ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.24%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $151,170.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 146,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,397,252. This represents a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $190,498.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. This represents a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,222 shares of company stock worth $1,776,117. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company Profile

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in 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.