Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE: ELS) to a strong-buy rating, adding to a mixed but generally positive analyst backdrop for the REIT.
• The company beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $0.74 EPS on $397.81 million in revenue, and raised guidance for FY2026 and Q3 2026.
• ELS shares were up 1.0% to $65.53, while the stock’s consensus analyst rating remains Hold with a $68.70 price target.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Jefferies Financial Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

ELS has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Barclays reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 note on Monday, June 1st. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Equity Lifestyle Properties from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Odeon Capital Group set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Equity Lifestyle Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $68.70.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Stock Up 1.0%

ELS stock opened at $65.53 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.76, a PEG ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 0.66. The business's fifty day moving average price is $63.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.12. Equity Lifestyle Properties has a fifty-two week low of $58.15 and a fifty-two week high of $69.00.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $397.81 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $383.66 million. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a return on equity of 21.22% and a net margin of 24.99%.The company's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Equity Lifestyle Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.130-3.230 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.760-0.820 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Equity Lifestyle Properties will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Lifestyle Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,055 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 30.3% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 735 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 43,367 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,628,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 3.7% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,948 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 3.5% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 5,561 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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