Marshall Wace LLP Lowers Stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 153,741 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 16,115 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.06% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $7,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. CKW Financial Group grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.0% in the fourth quarter. CKW Financial Group now owns 700 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 149.8% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,029 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 617 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter worth about $66,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,368 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.72, for a total transaction of $248,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 145,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,783.16. This trade represents a 3.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total value of $57,412.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 53,002 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,673,950.90. The trade was a 2.10 % 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 worth $2,024,241 in the last three months. Company insiders own 4.37% of the company's stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of GLPI stock opened at $49.29 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.20 and a 12 month high of $52.60. The stock has a market cap of $13.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.37.

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

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.17%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on GLPI. Mizuho raised 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 note on Thursday, April 3rd. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $53.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $54.18.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GLPI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.