Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Acquired by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI - Free Report) by 196.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 194,030 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 128,500 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.07% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $9,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE grew its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 106.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 44,745 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,155,000 after buying an additional 23,050 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 24,560 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 2,498 shares during the last quarter. Aew Capital Management L P raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1,786.5% during the fourth quarter. Aew Capital Management L P now owns 761,600 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $36,679,000 after purchasing an additional 721,230 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $49,188,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter worth $768,000. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 report on Monday, March 10th. Scotiabank lowered 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 report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $54.18.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of GLPI traded up $0.21 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $49.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 391,731 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,240,735. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. The company's 50-day moving average is $49.43 and its 200-day moving average is $49.37. 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 52-week low of $42.20 and a 52-week high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $389.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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, equities research analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 145,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,256,783.16. This represents a 3.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,138 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.45, for a total transaction of $57,412.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 53,002 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,673,950.90. This trade represents a 2.10 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 40,459 shares of company stock valued at $2,024,241 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 4.37% of the company's stock.

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.