Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Short Interest Update

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,720,000 shares, an increase of 5.1% from the September 30th total of 4,490,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,240,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.8 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,605 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.89, for a total transaction of $274,028.45. Following the transaction, the director now owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,660,329.65. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 30,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.05, for a total transaction of $1,546,545.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 208,977 shares in the company, valued at $10,459,298.85. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,605 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.89, for a total value of $274,028.45. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,660,329.65. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 56,363 shares of company stock valued at $2,840,781 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 578.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 18,500.0% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 740 shares in the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GLPI has been the subject of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Wolfe Research raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $57.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $52.00 price objective (up previously from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.18.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 0.7 %

GLPI stock traded down $0.38 during trading on Thursday, hitting $50.40. The company had a trading volume of 343,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,311,762. The company has a quick ratio of 5.91, a current ratio of 5.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $51.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $47.62. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 12 month low of $41.80 and a 12 month high of $52.60. The stock has a market cap of $13.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.74, a PEG ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 0.99.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.25). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 52.79% and a return on equity of 17.60%. The business had revenue of $385.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $385.09 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is presently 112.18%.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company 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.