Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Equity Lifestyle a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from 17 firms (1 sell, 6 hold, 9 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year target of about $69.63.
• The REIT reported Q1 EPS of $0.56, missing estimates of $0.84 while revenue of $397.6M slightly beat expectations and rose 2.7% year‑over‑year.
• Equity Lifestyle declared a quarterly dividend of $0.5425 (annualized $2.17), implying a 3.5% yield but a high payout ratio of 108.5%.

Shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $69.6250.

ELS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $70.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zelman & Associates began coverage on Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research note on Monday, March 16th. They issued an "underperform" rating and a $59.25 price objective 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. Zacks Research raised Equity Lifestyle Properties from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties stock opened at $62.80 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $65.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.43. The company has a market cap of $12.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.69. Equity Lifestyle Properties has a fifty-two week low of $58.15 and a fifty-two week high of $69.00. 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 (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.28). The company had revenue of $397.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $395.71 million. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 21.22%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Equity Lifestyle Properties will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other Equity Lifestyle Properties news, Director David J. Contis sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.22, for a total value of $201,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 14,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,000,905.80. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Equity Lifestyle Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ELS. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Wiser Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 943.8% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 501 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 540 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fulcrum Asset Management LLP acquired a new stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.21% of the company's stock.

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.

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