Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) versus Four Corners Property Trust (NYSE:FCPT) Financial Survey

Four Corners Property Trust (NYSE:FCPT) and Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk and valuation.

Profitability

This table compares Four Corners Property Trust and Gaming and Leisure Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Four Corners Property Trust	38.20%	7.39%	4.00%
Gaming and Leisure Properties	52.24%	17.10%	6.62%

Volatility and Risk

Four Corners Property Trust has a beta of 0.82, indicating that its share price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Gaming and Leisure Properties has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its share price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

98.7% of Four Corners Property Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.1% of Gaming and Leisure Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.2% of Four Corners Property Trust shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 4.3% of Gaming and Leisure Properties shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Four Corners Property Trust and Gaming and Leisure Properties, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Four Corners Property Trust	0	5	2	0	2.29
Gaming and Leisure Properties	0	6	6	0	2.50

Four Corners Property Trust currently has a consensus target price of $27.83, suggesting a potential upside of 14.79%. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a consensus target price of $52.32, suggesting a potential upside of 13.64%. Given Four Corners Property Trust’s higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Four Corners Property Trust is more favorable than Gaming and Leisure Properties.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Four Corners Property Trust and Gaming and Leisure Properties”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Four Corners Property Trust	$294.13 million	9.05	$112.36 million	$1.10	22.04
Gaming and Leisure Properties	$1.59 billion	8.18	$825.11 million	$2.91	15.82

Gaming and Leisure Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Four Corners Property Trust. Gaming and Leisure Properties is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Four Corners Property Trust, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Dividends

Four Corners Property Trust pays an annual dividend of $1.47 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.1%. Gaming and Leisure Properties pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.8%. Four Corners Property Trust pays out 133.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Gaming and Leisure Properties pays out 107.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Four Corners Property Trust has raised its dividend for 5 consecutive years and Gaming and Leisure Properties has raised its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Gaming and Leisure Properties is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Gaming and Leisure Properties beats Four Corners Property Trust on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Four Corners Property Trust

Four Corners Property Trust, Inc. engages in the owning, acquisition, and leasing of properties for use in the restaurant and food-service related industries. It operates through the Real Estate Operations and Restaurant Operations segments. The Real Estate Operations segment consists of rental revenues generated by leasing restaurant properties. The Restaurant Operations segment includes the Kerrow Restaurant operating business. The company was founded on July 2, 2015 and is headquartered in Mill Valley, CA.

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.