12,316 Shares in Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. $ELS Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 12,316 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $746,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 16.2% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 3,656,490 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $221,619,000 after purchasing an additional 509,442 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 21.8% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 24,666 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,495,000 after purchasing an additional 4,420 shares during the last quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC bought a new position in Equity Lifestyle Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $2,321,000. Pring Turner Capital Group Inc. grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Pring Turner Capital Group Inc. now owns 74,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,501,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 349,759 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $21,199,000 after purchasing an additional 9,540 shares during the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Stock Up 1.7%

ELS stock opened at $64.44 on Thursday. Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.15 and a 52 week high of $69.00. The company has a market capitalization of $12.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.67. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $63.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by ($0.28). Equity Lifestyle Properties had a return on equity of 21.22% and a net margin of 24.99%.The company had revenue of $397.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $395.71 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.57 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.5425 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 26th. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Equity Lifestyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ELS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $70.00 to $69.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 1st. Zelman & Associates initiated coverage on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Monday, March 16th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $59.25 target price for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David J. Contis sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.22, for a total transaction of $201,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,000,905.80. This represents a 16.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Profile

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc (NYSE: ELS) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust specializing in the acquisition, development, ownership and operation of manufactured home communities and recreational vehicle resorts. The company’s portfolio includes more than 450 properties across the United States and Canada, serving over 200,000 residents and visitors. ELS organizes its operations into two primary segments: manufactured housing communities, which provide long-term housing solutions, and upscale RV and seasonal resorts designed for leisure travelers and seasonal patrons.

In its manufactured home division, ELS offers home-site leases combined with community amenities such as landscaped common areas, clubhouses, swimming pools and organized resident events.