ELS vs ESS vs SUI Stock Comparison

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Essex Property Trust and Sun Communities Prices as of Oct 29, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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SUI Sun Communities Inc
$112.25 +0.3% 1M -6.1% 1Y
Market cap
$13.46B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$2.41B
Div. yield
3.92%
Residential REITs Real Estate
3 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Equity Lifestyle Properties leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Equity Lifestyle Properties 6, Essex Property Trust 3, Sun Communities 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionELSESSSUILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.42B $17.05B $13.46B ESS
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.2x 41.2x -17.9x ELS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 27.9x 50.9x — ELS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.2% +4.7% +18.4% SUI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 24.8% 21.5% -31.4% ELS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.8% — 3.5% ELS
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.2x 5.3x 1.4x SUI
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 3.63% 3.90% 3.92% SUI
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -1.7% +7.4% -6.1% ESS
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -7.0%/yr -4.8%/yr -10.6%/yr ESS
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 18.7% 20.3% 20.9% ELS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 46/100 49/100 ELS

Percentile Scorecard

ELSESSSUI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisELSESSSUI
Valuation 11 #129 of 145 15 #123 of 145 38 #90 of 145
Growth 53 #68 of 143 33 #96 of 143 34 #95 of 143
Profitability 94 #9 of 136 93 #11 of 136 38 #85 of 136
Financial Health 37 #88 of 138 47 #74 of 138 89 #16 of 138
Shareholder Returns 55 #59 of 131 40 #79 of 131 45 #72 of 131
Overall 50 46 49
  • ELS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • ESS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • SUI ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodELSESSSUISPY
1 month +0.2%-3.2%+0.3% +0.7%
3 months -10.2%-5.7%-9.8% +3.7%
6 months -7.0%+0.8%-12.2% +7.1%
Year to date -2.9%+1.4%-9.4% +12.8%
1 year -1.7%+7.4%-6.1% +11.9%
3 years -10.5%+26.3%+2.3% +85.2%
3 years, per year -3.6%+8.1%+0.8% +22.8%
5 years -30.4%-21.9%-42.7% +67.6%
5 years, per year -7.0%-4.8%-10.6% +10.9%
10 years +58.7%+26.8%+48.1% +262.0%
10 years, per year +4.7%+2.4%+4.0% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureELSESSSUISPY
Volatility, 1Y 18.7%20.3%20.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 18.2%22.2%21.0% 12.6%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.220.11-0.08 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.090.36-0.29 0.94
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.2%-45.4%-51.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -13.9%-11.1%-18.2% -1.2%
52-week high $68.37$298.33$137.18 $779.14
52-week low $57.64$239.61$110.01 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleELSESSSUI
P/E now vs peer median 29.2xmedian 25.7x 41.2xmedian 25.7x -17.9xmedian 25.7x
P/S now vs peer median 7.2xmedian 4.1x 8.9xmedian 4.1x 5.6xmedian 4.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 23.1xmedian 14.3x 18.9xmedian 14.3x 18.2xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.8xmedian 23.5x 29.4xmedian 23.5x 34.1xmedian 23.5x
P/B now vs peer median 6.3xmedian 1.3x 3.1xmedian 1.3x 2.5xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median 3.26median 1.86 -5.13median 1.86 0.22median 1.86

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsELSESSSUI
Revenue $1.58B $1.93B $2.41B
Gross profit $1.44B – $2.13B
Operating income $412.54M $627.10M $256.50M
Net income $404.07M $437.61M -$772.80M
Free cash flow $370.75M $580.66M $395.00M
EPS (diluted) $1.95 $6.44 $-6.13
Cash & equivalents $24.33M $58.33M $699.30M
Total debt $3.31B $26.96B $1.79B
Shares (diluted) 200.25M 64.28M 123.20M
Enterprise value $11.35B $16.98B $11.57B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricELSESSSUI
P/E 29.2x 41.2x -17.9x
P/FCF 30.8x 29.4x 34.1x
P/Operating cash flow 19.2x 15.3x 15.7x
P/S 7.2x 8.9x 5.6x
P/B 6.3x 3.1x 2.5x
P/Tangible book 6.3x 3.1x 2.6x
EV/EBITDA 23.1x 18.9x 18.2x
EV/EBIT 35.6x 37.8x 56.7x
EV/Revenue 9.3x 12.3x 6.0x
EV/FCF 39.7x 40.8x 36.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 24.8x 21.2x 17.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.26 -5.13 0.22

Growth

14 metrics
MetricELSESSSUI
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.2% 4.7% 18.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.4% 5.2% -8.7%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 3.4% – 15.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.9% – -5.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 4.9% -35.4% 311.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.4% -2.6% 8.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 1.3% -49.8% -172.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 9.2% -7.9% -85.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 2.3% -48.2% -175.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.9% -8.0% -81.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.8% 8.3% 5.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.6% 5.4% 6.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 11.0% 344.6% -6.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 22.6% -3.3% 46.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricELSESSSUI
Gross margin 91.0% – 88.3%
EBITDA margin 40.3% 64.9% 33.2%
Operating margin 26.1% 32.5% 10.6%
Pretax margin 18.3% 18.9% 3.9%
Net margin 24.8% 21.5% -31.4%
FCF margin 23.5% 30.1% 16.4%
Operating cash flow margin 37.6% 58.0% 35.5%
Return on equity 22.3% 7.9% -14.2%
Return on assets 7.0% 3.4% -7.5%
Return on invested capital 7.8% – 3.5%
Return on capital employed – – –
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.1x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.5x 2.6x -1.1x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 0.6% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricELSESSSUI
Debt / assets 57.4% 51.9% 18.2%
Debt / equity 1.8x 1.2x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.2x 5.3x 1.4x
Debt / FCF 8.9x 11.5x 4.5x
Liabilities / assets 68.7% 57.5% 46.1%
Equity / assets 31.3% 42.5% 53.9%
Interest coverage 3.0x 2.4x 1.6x
Current ratio – – –
Quick ratio – – –
Cash ratio – – –
Altman Z-score – – –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricELSESSSUI
Dividend yield 3.6% 3.9% 3.9%
Net buyback yield 0.0% 0.4% 4.1%
Shareholder yield 3.6% 4.3% 8.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) 101.5% 151.6% -71.7%
Payout ratio (FCF) 110.6% 114.2% 140.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) 8.7% 4.0% -46.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 8.7% 4.8% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusELSESSSUI
Forward P/E 27.9xFY2026 50.9xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $2.11FY2026 $5.21FY2026 $-5.88FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.0%FY2026 -49.9%FY2026 -154.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +9.0% +29.6% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.52BFY2026 $2.05BFY2026 $2.04BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.6%FY2026 +9.2%FY2026 -11.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.4% -7.5% -4.9%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersELSESSSUI
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 477 631 531
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.6% +4.7% +6.1%
Institutions buying 220 348 259
Institutions selling 190 184 197
Buyers to sellers 1.16 1.89 1.31

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

ELSESSSUI
ELS 1.00 0.53 0.75
ESS 0.53 1.00 0.53
SUI 0.75 0.53 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ELS, ESS and SUI?

Essex Property Trust (ESS) is the largest by market capitalisation: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) $11.42B, Essex Property Trust (ESS) $17.05B, Sun Communities (SUI) $13.46B.

Which stock is cheaper, ELS, ESS and SUI?

Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 29.2x, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 41.2x, Sun Communities (SUI) -17.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) is cheapest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 27.9x, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 50.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Sun Communities (SUI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) +3.2%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) +4.7%, Sun Communities (SUI) +18.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has the highest net margin (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 24.8%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 21.5%, Sun Communities (SUI) -31.4%). On return on invested capital, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) leads (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 7.8%, Sun Communities (SUI) 3.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Essex Property Trust (ESS) returned the most: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -1.7%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) +7.4%, Sun Communities (SUI) -6.1%. Over five years, Essex Property Trust (ESS) compounded fastest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -7.0%/yr, Essex Property Trust (ESS) -4.8%/yr, Sun Communities (SUI) -10.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Sun Communities (SUI) has the highest dividend yield: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 3.63%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 3.90%, Sun Communities (SUI) 3.92%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has been the steadiest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 18.7%, Essex Property Trust (ESS) 20.3%, Sun Communities (SUI) 20.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ELS, ESS and SUI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.