Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) Hits New 12-Month Low - What's Next?

Key Points

• Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) hit a new 52-week low of $58.65 during trading, signaling concerns about its stock performance, which has seen a decline from a previous close of $59.63.
• Despite the stock's downturn, analysts are maintaining a generally positive outlook with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.05, as multiple ratings suggest growth potential.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.515 per share, yielding approximately 3.52%, although it has a high dividend payout ratio of 106.74%.

Shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $58.65 and last traded at $58.64, with a volume of 453329 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.63.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on ELS. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. They set a "positive" rating and a $67.50 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equity Lifestyle Properties currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $71.50.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Trading Down 0.2%

The firm has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company's 50 day moving average price is $62.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.51.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.69. The company had revenue of $313.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.59 million. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a net margin of 24.13% and a return on equity of 21.12%. The firm's revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Friday, September 26th will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. Equity Lifestyle Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Paul Seavey sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.72, for a total value of $647,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 78,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,058,644.64. This trade represents a 11.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,620 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,995 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,069 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 31,133 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,077,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 121.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 383 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company's stock.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Company 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.