Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 5,935 Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. decreased its position in Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS - Free Report) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 275,892 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 5,935 shares during the quarter. Equity LifeStyle Properties makes up 1.7% of Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. owned 0.14% of Equity LifeStyle Properties worth $18,374,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. National Pension Service bought a new position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 121.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 383 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 43.5% during the 4th 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 during the period. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Equity LifeStyle Properties in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $80.00 price target on the stock. Finally, 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Equity LifeStyle Properties has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $74.10.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Price Performance

Equity LifeStyle Properties stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $63.11. 1,196,720 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,302,354. The stock has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.36, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72. The stock's fifty day moving average is $66.25 and its 200-day moving average is $67.50. 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 12 month low of $58.86 and a 12 month high of $76.60.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, April 21st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 23.12%. The firm had revenue of $327.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $391.34 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.59 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th were given a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. This is a boost from Equity LifeStyle Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 28th. Equity LifeStyle Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 106.74%.

Equity LifeStyle Properties 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.