Metis Global Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,787 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 2,340 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties were worth $1,584,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ELS. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 68.2% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 898 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ELS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Truist Financial upgraded Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $72.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $73.78.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Price Performance

Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties stock opened at $68.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $13.18 billion, a PE ratio of 35.36, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.79. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $59.82 and a 12 month high of $76.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $66.37 and a 200 day moving average of $69.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.02, a quick ratio of 0.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a return on equity of 23.12% and a net margin of 24.05%. On average, research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be paid a $0.515 dividend. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. This is a positive change from Equity LifeStyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.64%.

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.