Securian Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 20,743 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 593 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $999,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GLPI. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 647.0% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,025,526 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $104,213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,754,370 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,188,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,259,224 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $641,059,000 after purchasing an additional 889,698 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,075,461 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $209,682,000 after purchasing an additional 821,634 shares during the period. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 6,162.9% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 812,981 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $41,820,000 after purchasing an additional 800,000 shares during the period. 91.14% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In other news, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total value of $870,279.80. Following the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.72, for a total transaction of $248,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 145,953 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,783.16. The trade was a 3.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 56,064 shares of company stock worth $2,778,908 over the last 90 days. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $57.00 to $56.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Six equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $53.96.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock opened at $49.78 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $41.80 and a 12-month high of $52.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.35, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $48.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.81.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.94 by $0.01. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.65% and a return on equity of 17.41%. The business had revenue of $389.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.54 million. Analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 EPS for the current year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.11%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is currently 105.92%.

About Gaming and Leisure Properties

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc engages in the provision of 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.