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

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,980,000 shares, a decrease of 5.1% from the November 30th total of 5,250,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,230,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.0 days.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Gaming and Leisure Properties stock opened at $47.73 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $49.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $49.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a current ratio of 11.35. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 52-week low of $41.80 and a 52-week high of $52.60.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.25). The company had revenue of $385.34 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $385.09 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 51.93%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. On average, equities 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 firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.37%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is 106.29%.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 6,885 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.16, for a total transaction of $345,351.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 149,800 shares in the company, valued at $7,513,968. This represents a 4.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.37% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLPI. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2,547.6% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 556 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% during 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 last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 578.4% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 692 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3,191.3% in the third quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 757 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the period. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on GLPI shares. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $52.00 target price (up previously from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price objective on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

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.