First Trust Advisors LP Buys 837,348 Shares of VICI Properties Inc. $VICI

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in VICI Properties Inc. (NYSE:VICI) by 55.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,341,715 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 837,348 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in VICI Properties were worth $76,363,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. HUB Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in VICI Properties during the third quarter worth $216,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of VICI Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at $203,000. Gabelli Funds LLC grew its holdings in shares of VICI Properties by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 213,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,973,000 after purchasing an additional 5,250 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of VICI Properties by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,623 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of VICI Properties by 54.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 5,686,520 shares of the company’s stock worth $185,437,000 after purchasing an additional 1,993,245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.71% of the company’s stock.

VICI Properties Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE VICI opened at $29.51 on Tuesday. VICI Properties Inc. has a 1-year low of $27.48 and a 1-year high of $34.03. The company has a 50-day moving average of $28.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.05. The company has a market cap of $31.54 billion, a PE ratio of 11.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 3.17, a quick ratio of 3.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59.

VICI Properties (NYSE:VICI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.60 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $1.01 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. VICI Properties had a net margin of 69.28% and a return on equity of 10.02%. VICI Properties’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. VICI Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.420-2.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that VICI Properties Inc. will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

VICI Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. VICI Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 68.97%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VICI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald set a $33.00 price target on shares of VICI Properties in a report on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of VICI Properties from $35.00 to $30.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of VICI Properties from $37.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Scotiabank downgraded VICI Properties from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $30.00 in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $32.00 price target (down from $36.00) on shares of VICI Properties in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.69.

About VICI Properties

VICI Properties (NYSE: VICI) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that specializes in experiential real estate, with a primary focus on gaming, hospitality and entertainment assets. The company acquires, owns and manages a portfolio of destination properties and leases those assets to operators under long-term agreements, generating rental income and partnering on property development and capital projects. VICI was formed in connection with the restructuring of Caesars Entertainment and has since grown through acquisitions and strategic transactions to expand its footprint in the gaming and leisure sector.

The company’s portfolio is concentrated in major U.S.