Algert Global LLC Buys Shares of 37,350 Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

Algert Global LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 37,350 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $2,488,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ELS. National Pension Service acquired a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 383 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake 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 buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.21% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on ELS. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Equity LifeStyle Properties in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $80.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.33.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Trading Down 2.0%

ELS traded down $1.25 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $62.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 397,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,305,128. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.97, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.76. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $58.86 and a twelve month high of $76.60. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $65.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.14. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 23.12%. The company had revenue of $327.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $391.34 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.515 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 27th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Equity LifeStyle Properties's payout ratio is 106.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Equity LifeStyle Properties

In related news, CFO Paul Seavey sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.72, for a total transaction of $647,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 78,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,058,644.64. This trade represents a 11.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Profile

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.