Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $73.78.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial raised shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $72.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Price Performance

Equity LifeStyle Properties stock opened at $66.39 on Friday. Equity LifeStyle Properties has a 52 week low of $59.82 and a 52 week high of $76.60. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $66.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.62. The stock has a market cap of $12.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a return on equity of 23.12% and a net margin of 24.05%. On average, equities analysts predict that Equity LifeStyle Properties will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. This is an increase from Equity LifeStyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.64%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity LifeStyle Properties

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. National Pension Service bought a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 121.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 43.5% in the fourth 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 period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.