AQR Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. $ELS

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management increased its stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 211.3%, acquiring an additional 271,473 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to roughly 399,932 shares valued at $26.68 million.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings for Equity Lifestyle Properties, with an average price target of $71.05 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.515 per share, representing a 3.3% annual yield, with a payout ratio currently at 106.74%.

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Free Report) by 211.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 399,932 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 271,473 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.21% of Equity Lifestyle Properties worth $26,675,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 673.7% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 441 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 75.0% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 644 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties during the first quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 31.9% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,426 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $95,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 78.7% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,442 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 635 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Price Performance

NYSE:ELS traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.50. 1,341,668 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,404,042. The company has a quick ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.15 and a 1 year high of $76.60. The company has a market cap of $11.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $63.29.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a net margin of 24.13% and a return on equity of 21.12%. The firm had revenue of $313.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $377.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equity Lifestyle Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.010-3.110 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 0.720-0.780 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. Equity Lifestyle Properties's payout ratio is 106.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ELS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Compass Point upgraded shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $67.50 to $62.50 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $82.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $71.05.

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.