Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Sold by Polaris Capital Management LLC

Polaris Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 721,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 29,500 shares during the quarter. Gaming and Leisure Properties comprises approximately 1.7% of Polaris Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC owned about 0.26% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $34,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at about $693,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 76.1% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 32,316 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,646,000 after purchasing an additional 13,965 shares in the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 10.9% in the third quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 522,197 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,867,000 after buying an additional 51,398 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 87.5% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 14,410 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 6,724 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $526,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on GLPI shares. Mizuho dropped their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.93.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

Gaming and Leisure Properties stock opened at $49.08 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 11.35 and a quick ratio of 11.35. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $41.80 and a 12 month high of $52.60. The company has a market cap of $13.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $48.40 and its 200-day moving average is $49.80.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.19%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total transaction of $870,279.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,674,516. This trade represents a 24.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total transaction of $190,498.88. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. The trade was a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 33,222 shares of company stock worth $1,624,947 over the last ninety days. 4.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

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.