Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (ELS) AI Stock Analysis

Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. is a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust headquartered in Chicago. The company focuses on lifestyle-oriented properties and residential communities. As of January 29, 2024, Equity LifeStyle Properties owns or holds an interest in 451 properties spread across 35 states and British Columbia, encompassing a total of 172,465 sites. Its portfolio includes a mix of manufactured home communities, recreational vehicle resorts, and campgrounds. The company emphasizes creating value through property management and strategic acquisitions, serving diverse resident needs across key geographic regions.

Between FY2021 and FY2025, annual revenue increased from $1.32B to $1.53B, supported by a 5-year revenue CAGR of 7.2%. In FY2025, revenue grew 6.8%, gross margin reached 37.6%, and operating margin finished at 33.8%. Net income rose steadily across the period, moving from $262.5M in FY2021 to $386.5M in FY2025, with net margin improving to 25.2%. Diluted earnings per share expanded from $1.39 in FY2021 to $1.97 in FY2025. In the latest quarter ended June 30, 2026, quarterly revenue grew 6.4% year-over-year, while quarterly earnings increased 19.1%.

As of June 30, 2026, Equity LifeStyle Properties held $35.6M in cash and short-term investments against $3.31B in total debt, resulting in net debt of $3.28B. Shareholders' equity stood at $1.76B, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 0.31. In FY2025, the company generated $571.1M in operating cash flow and $334.1M in free cash flow. Capital expenditures totaled $237.1M, while dividends paid consumed $405.0M. Share count increased by 8.9% over 5 years.

At a last close of $61.21, Equity LifeStyle Properties trades at a trailing P/E of 29.6x and a forward P/E of 28.6x, compared to medians of 21.6x and 23.5x for its US-listed Real Estate peers. Its enterprise value of $14.86B reflects an EV/to/EBITDA of 19.8x, above the peer median of 14.7x, while its price-to-sales multiple is 7.8x versus the peer median of 3.7x. Over the past year, the stock returned 1.9%, lagging the S&P 500 return of 16.8%. Over a 5-year span, the stock fell 15.4% while the S&P 500 gained 83.0%.

Equity LifeStyle Properties pays a quarterly dividend with an annualized forward payout of $2.17, representing a dividend yield of 3.55%. The company maintains a payout ratio of 94.0% and has paid dividends for 34 consecutive years. Its 5-year annualized dividend growth rate is 8.5%, with the most recent ex-dividend date recorded on September 25, 2026.

Wall Street coverage consists of 8 Strong Buy, 3 Buy, and 8 Hold ratings, with no Sell recommendations. The mean price target of $68.95 implies upside of 12.6% over the last close of $61.21. For the current fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, consensus estimates project EPS of $2.05 on revenue of $1.57B. Over the last 4 quarters, the company beat EPS estimates 2 times. The next earnings release date is October 20, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. (ELS). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

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