Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $20.21 Million Stock Position in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. $ELS

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 337,948 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,946 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties were worth $20,206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties in the third quarter worth about $1,243,000. Fermata Advisors LLC increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 471.9% in the fourth quarter. Fermata Advisors LLC now owns 33,933 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,057,000 after purchasing an additional 28,000 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 910.4% in the third quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 100,390 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,091,000 after purchasing an additional 90,454 shares during the period. Argosy Lionbridge Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties in the third quarter worth about $3,703,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 10.8% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 586,269 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,587,000 after purchasing an additional 56,913 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Equity Lifestyle Properties news, Director David J. Contis sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.22, for a total value of $201,660.00. Following the sale, the director owned 14,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,000,905.80. The trade was a 16.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on ELS shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 11th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 price objective for the company. Barclays restated 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 research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity Lifestyle Properties presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $69.48.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE ELS opened at $63.24 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.62, a PEG ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $64.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a current ratio of 0.04. Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.15 and a 52 week high of $69.00.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.84 by ($0.28). The firm had revenue of $397.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.71 million. Equity Lifestyle Properties had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 21.22%. The company’s revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.57 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a $0.5425 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Equity Lifestyle Properties’s payout ratio is presently 108.50%.

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.