Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Invests $4.37 Million in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. $ELS

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund bought a new position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 72,039 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $4,366,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,477,480 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,544,190,000 after buying an additional 592,013 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 32.5% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 6,823,626 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $414,194,000 after buying an additional 1,674,281 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,712,562 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $285,048,000 after buying an additional 100,364 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 16.2% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,656,490 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $221,619,000 after buying an additional 509,442 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,902,967 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $176,227,000 after buying an additional 60,852 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of ELS opened at $61.53 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a current ratio of 0.04. Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. has a one year low of $58.15 and a one year high of $69.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.77, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.57.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last issued 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). Equity Lifestyle Properties had a return on equity of 21.22% and a net margin of 24.99%.The firm had revenue of $397.62 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $395.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a $0.5425 dividend. This represents a $2.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. Equity Lifestyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 108.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ELS. Barclays reduced their target price on Equity Lifestyle Properties from $71.00 to $68.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Zelman & Associates began coverage on Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research note on Monday, March 16th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $59.25 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen raised Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 price target (up from $72.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Equity Lifestyle Properties from $70.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Equity Lifestyle Properties currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Equity Lifestyle Properties news, Director David J. Contis sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.22, for a total value 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 trade represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Company Profile

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.