ELS vs. HST: Equity LifeStyle Properties vs. Host Hotels & Resorts Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) and Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) both fall under the Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group, but ELS is classified in Residential REITs while HST is classified in Hotel & Resort REITs.

Both Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) and Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 22.34% and Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 14.21% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

Neither Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is well served by net margin: heavy depreciation makes net income a poor profitability proxy in their businesses, where FFO-based measures are the standard read.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 1.18% and Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 7.57% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 5.39 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 0.12 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 0.86 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 1.83 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 3.40% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 3.25% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): their distributions are mandated and conventionally measured against FFO, so the accounting-earnings ratio overstates both.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.

Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 2.73 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 7.96 prices around its industry’s middle — HST costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

Both look rich against book: Host Hotels & Resorts (HST) at 2.66 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) at 6.99 prices even higher, above its industry range.

Valuation Metrics