KBC Group NV Grows Position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

KBC Group NV grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 165.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 259,619 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 161,976 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $12,503,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions 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 buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 3,191.3% in the 3rd quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC now owns 757 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 388.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 869 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 691 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on GLPI. Mizuho decreased their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays began coverage on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price target for the company. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.93.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ GLPI opened at $48.04 on Thursday. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.80 and a 12-month high of $52.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.18 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.99. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued 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 6.33%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 106.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,149 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.80, for a total transaction of $54,922.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 91,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,379,436. This represents a 1.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total value of $151,170.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 146,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,397,252. This trade represents a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,222 shares of company stock valued at $1,776,117. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in 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.