O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Acquires 14,620 Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) by 102.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 28,831 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,620 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties were worth $1,920,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of ELS. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties by 68.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 898 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $60,000 after buying an additional 364 shares during the period. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Stock Performance

Shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties stock opened at $65.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.02 and a quick ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $66.98 and its 200-day moving average is $68.32. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. has a one year low of $59.82 and a one year high of $76.60.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last released its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 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%. Equities 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a $0.515 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.12%. This is an increase from Equity LifeStyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on ELS shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $78.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $66.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Equity LifeStyle Properties from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.20.

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.