Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Holdings Boosted by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,780,127 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 88,811 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.67% of Gaming and Leisure Properties worth $87,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GLPI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 37,572,599 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,711,432,000 after purchasing an additional 555,332 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.2% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 18,474,328 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $961,773,000 after purchasing an additional 393,420 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 13.6% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,515,906 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $493,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255,222 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 9,183,942 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $445,054,000 after purchasing an additional 214,286 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 15.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 8,771,108 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $399,523,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188,397 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director E Scott Urdang acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $45.00 per share, with a total value of $112,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,050,825. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:GLPI opened at $42.03 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17, a PEG ratio of 5.35 and a beta of 0.94. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $41.80 and a 1-year high of $52.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 7.41 and a current ratio of 7.41. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $45.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $46.00.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 29th. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.23%. This is a boost from Gaming and Leisure Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.73. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 109.75%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $55.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $52.09.

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.