Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 232,052 Shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. $ELS

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE:ELS) by 57.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 639,394 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 232,052 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.33% of Equity Lifestyle Properties worth $38,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 3.7% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,948 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 14,229 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $864,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC boosted its stake in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 3,293 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 1,250 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC increased its holdings in Equity Lifestyle Properties by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 21,327 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares in the last quarter. 97.21% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on ELS shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $75.00 target price (up from $72.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $71.00 price target (up from $68.00) on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Equity Lifestyle Properties in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Equity Lifestyle Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.42.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Price Performance

ELS opened at $66.98 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.04 and a quick ratio of 0.04. Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $58.15 and a 1 year high of $69.28. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.58. The firm has a market cap of $12.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 0.75.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, March 27th will be paid a $0.5425 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 27th. This is a boost from Equity Lifestyle Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Equity Lifestyle Properties’s payout ratio is 102.49%.

Equity Lifestyle Properties Company 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.