iA Global Asset Management Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 256 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Equity LifeStyle Properties were worth $253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ELS. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 43.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Equity LifeStyle Properties by 68.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 898 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE ELS opened at $68.47 on Friday. Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. has a one year low of $59.82 and a one year high of $76.60. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.11, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.79.

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) last issued its earnings results on Monday, January 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.76. Equity LifeStyle Properties had a net margin of 24.05% and a return on equity of 23.12%. As a group, analysts expect that Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equity LifeStyle Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a $0.515 dividend. This is a boost from Equity LifeStyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. This represents a $2.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.01%. Equity LifeStyle Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial raised shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $66.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI lowered 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Equity LifeStyle Properties from $69.00 to $68.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.78.

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.