Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Buys 9,078 Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 116,145 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,078 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $5,976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2,547.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 556 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 142.2% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 654 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

GLPI opened at $51.17 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $50.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.51. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $41.80 and a 1 year high of $52.60. The stock has a market cap of $14.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.99. 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 (NASDAQ:GLPI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.25). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.31% and a net margin of 51.93%. The firm had revenue of $385.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $385.09 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. 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 will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is currently 106.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, CFO Desiree A. Burke sold 12,973 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.02, for a total value of $674,855.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,073 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,621,957.46. This trade represents a 10.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 146,800 shares of the company’s stock, 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 three months, insiders have sold 22,858 shares of company stock valued at $1,171,377. Company insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on GLPI. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $52.00 price objective (up from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JMP Securities reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com lowered Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $57.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.32.

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.