Capital Fund Management S.A. Buys Shares of 73,744 Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

Capital Fund Management S.A. bought a new position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 73,744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $4,911,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 564 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE ELS opened at $64.31 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.98, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.02 and a quick ratio of 0.03. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. has a one year low of $58.86 and a one year high of $76.60. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.83.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.76. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 23.12%. As a group, analysts expect that Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This is a positive change from Equity LifeStyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s payout ratio is 105.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $66.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Equity LifeStyle Properties in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.20.

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.