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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) - Get Report has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from Buy to Hold with a ratings score of C+.  TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

TheStreet Ratings team rates EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES as a Hold with a ratings score of C+. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:

"We rate EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES (ELS) a HOLD. The primary factors that have impacted our rating are mixed some indicating strength, some showing weaknesses, with little evidence to justify the expectation of either a positive or negative performance for this stock relative to most other stocks. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, impressive record of earnings per share growth and revenue growth. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the company's profit margins have been poor overall."

Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:

• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 35.27% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Regarding the stock's future course, our hold rating indicates that we do not recommend additional investment in this stock despite its gains in the past year.
• EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES has improved earnings per share by 20.7% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. This trend suggests that the performance of the business is improving. During the past fiscal year, EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES increased its bottom line by earning $1.42 versus $0.75 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.61 versus $1.42).
• Current return on equity exceeded its ROE from the same quarter one year prior. This is a clear sign of strength within the company. Compared to other companies in the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry and the overall market on the basis of return on equity, EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES has outperformed in comparison with the industry average, but has underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500.
• The company, on the basis of net income growth from the same quarter one year ago, has significantly underperformed compared to the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry average, but is greater than that of the S&P 500. The net income increased by 19.8% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $26.49 million to $31.73 million.
• The gross profit margin for EQUITY LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES is currently lower than what is desirable, coming in at 32.37%. Regardless of ELS's low profit margin, it has managed to increase from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, ELS's net profit margin of 16.60% is significantly lower than the industry average.
• You can view the full analysis from the report here: ELS Ratings Report