Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.30.

Several research analysts have commented on ELS shares. Truist Financial upgraded Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $72.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. UBS Group raised shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Stock Performance

NYSE ELS opened at $66.52 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $12.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $68.54 and its 200-day moving average is $69.38. Equity LifeStyle Properties has a 12-month low of $59.82 and a 12-month high of $76.60.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.72 by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $387.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $315.78 million. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a return on equity of 24.10% and a net margin of 23.97%. The company’s revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Equity LifeStyle Properties will post 2.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a dividend of $0.477 per share. This represents a $1.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s payout ratio is currently 98.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity LifeStyle Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 356.4% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 534 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 43.5% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 564 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $54,000. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Equity LifeStyle Properties

Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the ownership and operation of lifestyle-oriented properties consisting primarily of manufactured home, and recreational vehicle communities. It operates through the following segments: Property Operations and Home Sales and Rentals Operations.