Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $596,000 Stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,586 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $596,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 27.4% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 309,882 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $14,276,000 after acquiring an additional 66,601 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the first quarter valued at about $2,396,000. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC raised its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 1.5% in the first quarter. Lasalle Investment Management Securities LLC now owns 1,479,756 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $68,172,000 after purchasing an additional 21,667 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties during the second quarter worth about $3,165,000. Finally, Caxton Associates LP boosted its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 72.5% during the first quarter. Caxton Associates LP now owns 24,282 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,119,000 after purchasing an additional 10,209 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.14% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Performance

Shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock opened at $49.39 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $51.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.90. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.80 and a fifty-two week high of $52.60. The firm has a market cap of $13.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.99.

Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.25). Gaming and Leisure Properties had a net margin of 51.93% and a return on equity of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $385.34 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $385.09 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.16%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is presently 106.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GLPI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $52.00 target price (up from $51.00) on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. StockNews.com cut Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $56.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $52.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Gaming and Leisure Properties has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $52.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,605 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.89, for a total transaction of $274,028.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,660,329.65. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Gaming and Leisure Properties news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 30,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.05, for a total transaction of $1,546,545.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 208,977 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,459,298.85. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director E Scott Urdang sold 5,605 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.89, for a total value of $274,028.45. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 156,685 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,660,329.65. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 59,363 shares of company stock valued at $2,991,951. 4.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Profile

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.