Head-To-Head Contrast: Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) vs. First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey (OTCMKTS:FREVS)

Equity Lifestyle Properties (NYSE:ELS) and First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey (OTCMKTS:FREVS) are both real estate companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends, valuation and risk.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Equity Lifestyle Properties and First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Equity Lifestyle Properties	1	7	7	1	2.50
First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey	0	0	0	0	0.00

Equity Lifestyle Properties presently has a consensus price target of $68.52, suggesting a potential upside of 5.56%. Given Equity Lifestyle Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Equity Lifestyle Properties is more favorable than First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

97.2% of Equity Lifestyle Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 0.8% of Equity Lifestyle Properties shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 12.0% of First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Equity Lifestyle Properties pays an annual dividend of $2.17 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey pays an annual dividend of $1.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.3%. Equity Lifestyle Properties pays out 104.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey pays out 92.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Equity Lifestyle Properties has raised its dividend for 21 consecutive years. First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Equity Lifestyle Properties and First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Equity Lifestyle Properties	$1.53 billion	8.23	$386.51 million	$2.08	31.21
First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey	N/A	N/A	N/A	$1.69	12.63

Equity Lifestyle Properties has higher revenue and earnings than First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey. First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Equity Lifestyle Properties, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares Equity Lifestyle Properties and First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Equity Lifestyle Properties	25.92%	22.31%	7.03%
First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey	N/A	N/A	N/A

Summary

Equity Lifestyle Properties beats First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey on 12 of the 15 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 First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey

First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey, Inc. is a publicly traded (over-the-counter symbol FREVS) REIT organized in 1961. Its portfolio of residential and commercial properties are located in New Jersey and New York, with the largest concentration in northern New Jersey.