Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $53.25 to $57.50 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 11.30% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. 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 research note on Tuesday, October 1st. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $55.00 target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.32.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

Shares of GLPI stock opened at $51.66 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $14.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $50.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.56. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a one year low of $41.80 and a one year 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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $385.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $385.09 million. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.93% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The business’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties will post 3.67 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gaming and Leisure Properties 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 $5,621,957.46. This trade represents a 10.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.39, for a total transaction of $151,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 146,800 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,397,252. This represents a 2.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 22,858 shares of company stock worth $1,171,377 in the last quarter. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GLPI. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 10,286 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $469,000 after buying an additional 470 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 409,511 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $18,866,000 after purchasing an additional 6,810 shares during the last quarter. Burney Co. grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 192.7% during the 1st quarter. Burney Co. now owns 141,644 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,526,000 after purchasing an additional 93,252 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 52.8% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 54,504 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,511,000 after purchasing an additional 18,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 66,840 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,079,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares during the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.