Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Sold by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp decreased its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 34.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 197,053 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 105,847 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.07% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $9,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of 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 buying an additional 1,754,370 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $49,188,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in 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. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 6,162.9% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Finally, Aew Capital Management L P grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1,786.5% during the 4th quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 761,600 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $36,679,000 after purchasing an additional 721,230 shares during the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI traded down $1.01 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $49.55. The company had a trading volume of 253,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,222,908. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.00. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $41.80 and a twelve month high of $52.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.69. 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 (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. The company 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.14%. Gaming and Leisure Properties's payout ratio is 105.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.89, for a total value of $254,450.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 140,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,173,098.17. This represents a 3.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total transaction of $870,279.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,140 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,674,516. This trade represents a 24.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 50,933 shares of company stock valued at $2,533,487. Insiders own 4.37% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley lowered Gaming and Leisure Properties from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $53.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $54.11.

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.