Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,120,000 shares, an increase of 9.2% from the July 15th total of 4,690,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,260,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.1 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on GLPI shares. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $51.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Friday, May 17th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $47.00 to $46.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gaming and Leisure Properties has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $51.38.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI traded up $0.67 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $49.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,029,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,349,788. The company has a current ratio of 5.91, a quick ratio of 5.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $45.52. The stock has a market cap of $13.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.98. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 52-week low of $41.80 and a 52-week high of $50.74.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.15). The company had revenue of $380.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $377.95 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 52.79% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,605 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.89, for a total transaction of $274,028.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 156,685 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,660,329.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 4.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ignite Planners LLC grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 12,181 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 33,990 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 19,068 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $878,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 90,749 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,103,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 22,534 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,112,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

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.