Analysts Set Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) Price Target at $70.42

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $69.6250.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $71.00 target price (up from $68.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Price Performance

NYSE ELS opened at $67.49 on Friday. Equity Lifestyle Properties has a fifty-two week low of $58.15 and a fifty-two week high of $69.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $65.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $62.77. The firm has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.04.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th will be issued a $0.5425 dividend. This is a boost from Equity Lifestyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 27th. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Equity Lifestyle Properties’s payout ratio is 102.49%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equity Lifestyle Properties

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 5,055 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC grew its holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 0.4% in the 4th 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 buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,948 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 16,781 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,017,000 after buying an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties by 1.6% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 14,229 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $864,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Company Profile

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.