ELS vs LEGH vs MAA Stock Comparison

Equity Lifestyle Properties, Legacy Housing and Mid America Apartment Communities Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LEGH Legacy Housing Corp
$28.26 -3.5% 1M +17.4% 1Y
Market cap
$679.68M
P/E
13.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$179.45M
Div. yield
–
Manufactured Housing Consumer Discretionary
7 wins

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

Legacy Housing leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Legacy Housing 7, Equity Lifestyle Properties 2, Mid America Apartment Communities 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionELSLEGHMAALeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $11.52B $679.68M $13.78B MAA
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.5x 13.3x 34.5x LEGH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 28.9x 11.2x 33.5x LEGH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +3.2% -2.6% +0.8% ELS
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months — 28.6% 18.0% LEGH
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 9.0% 5.3% LEGH
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — — 4.5x –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.05% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -0.8% +17.4% -10.8% LEGH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -6.3%/yr +9.9%/yr -10.1%/yr LEGH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 18.5% 33.8% 19.8% ELS
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 45/100 61/100 51/100 LEGH

Percentile Scorecard

ELSLEGHMAA

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

AxisELSLEGHMAA
Valuation 14 #125 of 145 35 #14 of 21 42 #85 of 145
Growth 52 #69 of 142 95 #2 of 20 15 #121 of 142
Profitability 100 #1 of 136 100 #1 of 18 87 #19 of 136
Financial Health – – 62 #54 of 139
Shareholder Returns 14 #113 of 131 13 #15 of 17 49 #68 of 131
Overall 45 61 51
  • ELS ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs
  • LEGH ranked among 24 companies in Homebuilding
  • MAA ranked among 149 companies in Property REITs

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodELSLEGHMAASPY
1 month +3.0%-3.5%+1.0% -0.8%
3 months -6.2%+7.0%-10.4% +3.5%
6 months -2.8%+30.9%-4.6% +7.0%
Year to date +0.7%+44.8%-13.9% +12.2%
1 year -0.8%+17.4%-10.8% +13.0%
3 years -5.1%+55.0%+1.7% +86.3%
3 years, per year -1.7%+15.7%+0.6% +23.1%
5 years -27.9%+60.2%-41.4% +68.6%
5 years, per year -6.3%+9.9%-10.1% +11.0%
10 years +63.3%—+29.2% +258.0%
10 years, per year +5.0%—+2.6% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureELSLEGHMAASPY
Volatility, 1Y 18.5%33.8%19.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 17.8%32.3%19.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.210.800.05 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.040.51-0.54 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -34.2%-54.4%-50.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -10.7%-3.7%-15.9% -1.8%
52-week high $68.37$29.35$142.19 $779.14
52-week low $57.64$18.79$114.20 $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.

MultipleELSLEGHMAA
P/E now vs peer median 30.2xmedian 27.4x 13.1xmedian 12.7x 34.7xmedian 27.4x
P/S now vs peer median 7.5xmedian 4.2x 3.7xmedian 0.6x 6.3xmedian 4.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median —median 14.2x 10.8xmedian 9.4x 15.4xmedian 14.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 33.0xmedian 23.2x 17.4xmedian 16.0x 29.3xmedian 23.2x
P/B now vs peer median 6.6xmedian 1.3x 1.2xmedian 1.1x 2.5xmedian 1.3x
PEG now vs peer median 3.38median 2.11 -2.07median 1.06 -2.84median 2.11

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 monthsELSLEGHMAA
Revenue $1.58B $179.45M $2.22B
Gross profit – $89.30M –
Operating income $411.40M $58.85M –
Net income – $51.25M $410.71M
Free cash flow – $38.58M $473.83M
EPS (diluted) $1.95 $2.15 $3.44
Cash & equivalents $24.33M $28.97M $51.84M
Total debt – $2.24M $21.95B
Shares (diluted) 200.21M 23.81M 116.14M
Enterprise value $11.52B $614.57M $13.56B

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
MetricELSLEGHMAA
P/E 30.2x 13.1x 34.7x
P/FCF 33.0x 17.4x 29.3x
P/Operating cash flow – 13.3x 13.7x
P/S 7.5x 3.7x 6.3x
P/B 6.6x 1.2x 2.5x
P/Tangible book 6.6x 1.2x 2.5x
EV/EBITDA – 10.8x 15.4x
EV/EBIT – 10.9x 31.6x
EV/Revenue 7.5x 3.6x 8.8x
EV/FCF – 16.7x 41.2x
EV/Operating cash flow – 12.7x 19.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.38 -2.07 -2.84

Growth

14 metrics
MetricELSLEGHMAA
Revenue growth (1Y) 3.2% -2.6% 0.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 2.4% -9.0% 1.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – -4.1% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – -3.9% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 4.5% -0.7% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 16.2% -7.8% –
Net income growth (1Y) – -7.3% -30.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) – -8.0% -12.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 2.3% -4.2% -29.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 8.9% -6.3% -12.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – 54.7% -8.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 127.2% -4.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 71.8% -12.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 84.4% -4.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricELSLEGHMAA
Gross margin – 49.8% –
EBITDA margin – 33.3% 57.1%
Operating margin – 32.8% –
Pretax margin – 33.7% 18.8%
Net margin – 28.6% 18.0%
FCF margin – 21.5% 21.4%
Operating cash flow margin – 28.2% 45.6%
Return on equity 22.3% 9.3% 7.3%
Return on assets 7.0% 8.5% 3.4%
Return on invested capital – 9.0% 5.3%
Return on capital employed – 10.6% –
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.3x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) – 1.0x 2.5x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.0% 0.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricELSLEGHMAA
Debt / assets – – 47.5%
Debt / equity – – 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA – – 4.5x
Debt / FCF – – 12.0x
Liabilities / assets 68.7% 8.7% 53.5%
Equity / assets 31.3% 91.3% 46.5%
Interest coverage – 1,549x 3.1x
Current ratio – 3.6x –
Quick ratio – 1.2x –
Cash ratio – 0.6x –
Altman Z-score – 9.31 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricELSLEGHMAA
Dividend yield 3.5% – 5.1%
Net buyback yield – 0.3% 0.9%
Shareholder yield 3.5% 0.3% 6.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 173.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 150.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 2.0%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 5.1%

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.

ConsensusELSLEGHMAA
Forward P/E 28.9xFY2026 11.2xFY2026 33.5xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.11FY2026 $2.53FY2026 $3.57FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +5.0%FY2026 +45.4%FY2026 -5.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +9.0% -5.9% -9.0%
Revenue, next fiscal year $1.52BFY2026 $224.28MFY2026 $2.29BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -0.6%FY2026 +36.3%FY2026 +3.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +14.4% -7.3% +1.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersELSLEGHMAA
Held by institutions 100.0% 40.8% 97.1%
Institutions holding 476 123 771
Change in shares held, QoQ +2.6% +1.3% +8.2%
Institutions buying 220 67 395
Institutions selling 190 33 262
Buyers to sellers 1.16 2.03 1.51

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.

ELSLEGHMAA
ELS 1.00 0.23 0.57
LEGH 0.23 1.00 0.31
MAA 0.57 0.31 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, ELS, LEGH and MAA?

Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) is the largest by market capitalisation: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) $11.52B, Legacy Housing (LEGH) $679.68M, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) $13.78B.

Which stock is cheaper, ELS, LEGH and MAA?

Legacy Housing (LEGH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 29.5x, Legacy Housing (LEGH) 13.3x, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 34.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Legacy Housing (LEGH) is cheapest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 28.9x, Legacy Housing (LEGH) 11.2x, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 33.5x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) +3.2%, Legacy Housing (LEGH) -2.6%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) +0.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

Legacy Housing (LEGH) has the highest net margin (Legacy Housing (LEGH) 28.6%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 18.0%). On return on invested capital, Legacy Housing (LEGH) leads (Legacy Housing (LEGH) 9.0%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 5.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Legacy Housing (LEGH) returned the most: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -0.8%, Legacy Housing (LEGH) +17.4%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) -10.8%. Over five years, Legacy Housing (LEGH) compounded fastest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) -6.3%/yr, Legacy Housing (LEGH) +9.9%/yr, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) -10.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 0.00%, Legacy Housing (LEGH) 0.00%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 0.05%. Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) and Legacy Housing (LEGH) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) has been the steadiest (Equity Lifestyle Properties (ELS) 18.5%, Legacy Housing (LEGH) 33.8%, Mid America Apartment Communities (MAA) 19.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, ELS, LEGH and MAA?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Legacy Housing (LEGH) leads on 7. 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.