Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.2679.

Several research firms have recently commented on ELS. Zelman & Associates began coverage on Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Monday, March 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $59.25 price target for the company. Mizuho began coverage on Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Equity Lifestyle Properties from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Friday, February 27th.

Insider Transactions at Equity Lifestyle Properties

In related news, Director David J. Contis sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.22, for a total transaction of $201,660.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 14,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,000,905.80. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ELS. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 303.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,948,613 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $966,648,000 after buying an additional 11,999,874 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 253.7% during the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,147,048 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $191,025,000 after buying an additional 2,257,299 shares in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 26.8% during the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 10,614,040 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $643,331,000 after buying an additional 2,246,622 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Equity Lifestyle Properties during the 4th quarter valued at about $125,352,000. Finally, Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 2,448.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 1,963,378 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $119,177,000 after buying an additional 1,886,348 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Trading Down 0.0%

ELS opened at $62.43 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $12.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.22, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Equity Lifestyle Properties has a 12 month low of $58.15 and a 12 month high of $69.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $63.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.60.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $397.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.71 million. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a return on equity of 21.22% and a net margin of 24.99%.The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Equity Lifestyle Properties will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be given a $0.5425 dividend. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. Equity Lifestyle Properties’s payout ratio is presently 108.50%.

About Equity Lifestyle Properties

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc (NYSE: ELS) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in the acquisition, development, ownership and operation of manufactured home communities and recreational vehicle resorts. The company’s portfolio includes more than 450 properties across the United States and Canada, serving over 200,000 residents and visitors. ELS organizes its operations into two primary segments: manufactured housing communities, which provide long-term housing solutions, and upscale RV and seasonal resorts designed for leisure travelers and seasonal patrons.

In its manufactured home division, ELS offers home-site leases combined with community amenities such as landscaped common areas, clubhouses, swimming pools and organized resident events.