Hoxton Planning & Management LLC Makes New $1.52 Million Investment in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

Key Points

• Hoxton Planning & Management LLC has invested approximately $1.52 million in Equity Lifestyle Properties, acquiring 22,773 shares of the real estate investment trust.
• Equity Lifestyle Properties has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with a consensus price target of $71.50.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.515 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.51%.

Hoxton Planning & Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 22,773 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $1,519,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of ELS. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 16.0% during the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 34,144 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,277,000 after purchasing an additional 4,717 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 100.3% in the 1st quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,676 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $845,000 after buying an additional 6,347 shares during the period. Bayforest Capital Ltd grew its stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 810.9% during the 1st quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 19,284 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,286,000 after purchasing an additional 17,167 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc grew its position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 77.8% during the first quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 3,066 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $205,000 after buying an additional 1,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 353.1% in the 1st quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 20,840 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 16,241 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company's stock.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ELS traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $61.14. 956,737 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,512,834. The firm has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.47. 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.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69. The company had revenue of $313.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $377.59 million. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a return on equity of 21.12% and a net margin of 24.13%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. On average, 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 26th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 26th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Equity Lifestyle Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on ELS shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on 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. Barclays raised shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $70.00 to $67.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $82.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. They set a "positive" rating and a $67.50 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Equity Lifestyle Properties from $67.00 to $66.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $71.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Paul Seavey sold 10,000 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 78,162 shares in the company, valued at $5,058,644.64. This trade represents a 11.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.70% 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.