Financial Analysis: Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) and Great Portland Estates (OTC:GPEAF)

Equity LifeStyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) and Great Portland Estates (OTC:GPEAF) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, institutional ownership and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Equity LifeStyle Properties and Great Portland Estates, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Equity LifeStyle Properties	0	3	6	1	2.80
Great Portland Estates	1	0	0	0	1.00

Equity LifeStyle Properties currently has a consensus price target of $73.78, suggesting a potential upside of 11.14%. Given Equity LifeStyle Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Equity LifeStyle Properties is more favorable than Great Portland Estates.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Equity LifeStyle Properties and Great Portland Estates”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Equity LifeStyle Properties	$1.43 billion	8.85	$367.01 million	$1.95	34.04
Great Portland Estates	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Equity LifeStyle Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Great Portland Estates.

Volatility and Risk

Equity LifeStyle Properties has a beta of 0.79, indicating that its stock price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Great Portland Estates has a beta of 0.3, indicating that its stock price is 70% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

97.2% of Equity LifeStyle Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Equity LifeStyle Properties shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Equity LifeStyle Properties and Great Portland Estates’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equity LifeStyle Properties	24.05%	23.12%	6.51%
Great Portland Estates	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Equity LifeStyle Properties beats Great Portland Estates on 11 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. The Property Operations segment owns and operates land lease properties. The Home Sales and Rentals Operations segment purchases, sells, and leases homes. The company was founded by James M. Hankins in December 1992 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

About Great Portland Estates

We are a FTSE 250 property investment and development company owning £2.5 billion of real estate in central London. We proactively manage our portfolio, flexing our activities in tune with London’s property cycle to deliver long-term out-performance. We create in-demand spaces that people want to be part of; helping our occupiers, local communities and the city to thrive.