Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,730,590 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 45,729 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.40% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $184,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GLPI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,572,599 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,711,432,000 after purchasing an additional 555,332 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 15.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,771,108 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $399,523,000 after buying an additional 1,188,397 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 6,436,482 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $293,182,000 after acquiring an additional 340,784 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,277,451 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $260,442,000 after acquiring an additional 275,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 54.8% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 3,378,874 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $166,747,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,765 shares in the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI opened at $45.91 on Thursday. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.80 and a fifty-two week high of $50.59. The company has a quick ratio of 6.47, a current ratio of 6.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The company has a market cap of $12.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $44.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.70.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.90 by ($0.26). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 16.79% and a net margin of 50.05%. The business had revenue of $376.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $368.44 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This is a boost from Gaming and Leisure Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.62%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 112.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on GLPI shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 9th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $53.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Mizuho dropped their price target on 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 21st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.82.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $45.00 per share, for a total transaction of $112,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,050,825. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

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.