Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Short Interest Down 8.9% in January

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,980,000 shares, a decrease of 8.9% from the January 15th total of 4,370,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,120,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.6 days.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of GLPI stock traded down $0.69 during trading on Monday, reaching $48.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,105,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 946,372. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 1-year low of $41.80 and a 1-year high of $52.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $48.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.77. The company has a market capitalization of $13.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.25%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on GLPI. Barclays initiated 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 for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Mizuho cut their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $53.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 278,634 shares in the company, valued at $13,329,850.56. The trade was a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 54,140 shares in the company, valued at $2,674,516. This represents 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 worth $1,624,947 over the last three months. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the third quarter worth approximately $693,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position 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 valued at $1,646,000 after buying an additional 13,965 shares during the last quarter. Zacks Investment Management raised its stake 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 worth $26,867,000 after acquiring an additional 51,398 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted 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 valued at $741,000 after acquiring an additional 6,724 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $526,000. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.