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

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,980,000 shares, a decline 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 presently 3.6 days.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI traded up $0.43 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.04. The company had a trading volume of 871,134 shares, compared to its average volume of 971,766. The company has a fifty day moving average of $48.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a 12 month low of $41.80 and a 12 month high of $52.60. The company has a current ratio of 11.35, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is 106.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. 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. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,674,516. The trade was a 24.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 278,634 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. This trade represents a 1.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,222 shares of company stock worth $1,624,947. 4.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gaming and Leisure Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Dodge & Cox increased its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 75.3% in the 4th quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 13,498,634 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $650,094,000 after buying an additional 5,797,299 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,830,944 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $617,938,000 after purchasing an additional 571,720 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,135,195 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $624,356,000 after purchasing an additional 162,484 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,245,884 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $300,395,000 after purchasing an additional 165,024 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,534,033 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $284,726,000 after purchasing an additional 341,492 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.14% 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.