Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) Shares Purchased by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Free Report) by 23.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 387,600 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 74,800 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 0.20% of Equity LifeStyle Properties worth $25,814,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 172.0% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,070,817 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $404,319,000 after purchasing an additional 3,838,809 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 592.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,918,241 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $260,955,000 after buying an additional 3,352,584 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $163,212,000. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC purchased a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,391,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,053,845 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,668,586,000 after acquiring an additional 388,888 shares during the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Stock Up 0.6 %

Equity LifeStyle Properties stock traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $65.32. 1,430,162 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,294,910. 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 fifty-two week low of $58.86 and a fifty-two week high of $76.60. The company's fifty day moving average price is $66.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.71. The company has a market cap of $12.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.76. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 23.12%. On average, research analysts predict that Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th were paid a $0.515 dividend. This is a boost from Equity LifeStyle Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Equity LifeStyle Properties's payout ratio is 105.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on ELS shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price 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. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $80.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $78.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, 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.