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

Polaris Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 721,400 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 29,500 shares during the period. Gaming and Leisure Properties accounts for 1.7% of Polaris Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Polaris Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $34,743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of GLPI. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC bought a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the third quarter worth about $693,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 76.1% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management boosted its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 10.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 522,197 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,867,000 after purchasing an additional 51,398 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position 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 worth $741,000 after buying an additional 6,724 shares during the period. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $526,000. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

NASDAQ:GLPI 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 one year low of $41.80 and a one year high of $52.60. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $48.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.80. The stock has a market cap of $13.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GLPI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com lowered Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price 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. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $190,498.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,329,850.56. The trade was a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,674,516. The trade was a 24.55 % 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 valued at $1,624,947 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

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.