Natixis Purchases 20,478 Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

Natixis lifted its position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) by 144.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,606 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 20,478 shares during the period. Natixis’ holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties were worth $2,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Pension Service purchased a new position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 383 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position 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 buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.21% of the company’s stock.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Trading Down 1.4 %

ELS opened at $64.39 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 0.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.86 and a 52 week high of $76.60. The stock has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a PE ratio of 33.02, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $66.45 and a 200-day moving average of $67.62.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.26). Equity LifeStyle Properties had a return on equity of 23.12% and a net margin of 24.05%. The business had revenue of $327.21 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $391.34 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. This is an increase from Equity LifeStyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio is 105.64%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ELS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $66.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research 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, Equity LifeStyle Properties currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.20.

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.