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

CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,380 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 432 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 647.0% during the third 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 buying an additional 1,754,370 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 7.8% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 12,259,224 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $641,059,000 after acquiring an additional 889,698 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in Gaming and Leisure Properties by 25.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $41,820,000 after purchasing an additional 800,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Gaming and Leisure Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,057,000. 91.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GLPI. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $50.00 to $49.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $190,498.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,329,850.56. This represents a 1.41 % 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, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 17,617 shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.40, for a total transaction of $870,279.80. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 54,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,674,516. This trade represents a 24.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 33,222 shares of company stock worth $1,624,947. Company insiders own 4.37% of the company’s stock.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Stock Down 0.6 %

GLPI stock opened at $49.11 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $48.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.77. The company has a market capitalization of $13.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.99. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $41.80 and a 52 week 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 (NASDAQ:GLPI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.95 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.01. Gaming and Leisure Properties had a return on equity of 17.41% and a net margin of 51.65%. The firm had revenue of $389.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.54 million. On average, analysts forecast that Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. will post 3.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.19%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s payout ratio is presently 105.92%.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Company Profile

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.