Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) Shares Bought by First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank boosted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. (NASDAQ:GLPI) by 93.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 15,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,300 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in Gaming and Leisure Properties were worth $727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 10.5% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 27,170 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,228,000 after buying an additional 2,576 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 9.2% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 12,494 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 1,054 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in the second quarter worth about $230,000. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties by 4.2% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 53,140 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,402,000 after buying an additional 2,141 shares in the last quarter. 91.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on GLPI shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $53.25 to $57.50 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from $52.00 to $51.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $49.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $54.53 price objective for the company. Finally, JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Gaming and Leisure Properties in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gaming and Leisure Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $54.00.

Insider Activity at Gaming and Leisure Properties

In related news, COO Brandon John Moore sold 3,982 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.84, for a total value of $190,498.88. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 278,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,329,850.56. This represents a 1.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew Demchyk sold 1,149 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.80, for a total transaction of $54,922.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 91,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,379,436. The trade was a 1.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,016 shares of company stock worth $741,943 in the last 90 days. 4.37% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gaming and Leisure Properties Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of GLPI stock opened at $45.62 on Friday. Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $41.80 and a fifty-two week high of $52.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 11.35 and a current ratio of 11.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.99.

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

Gaming and Leisure Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.66%. Gaming and Leisure Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.29%.

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.