ELS vs IRT Stock Comparison
ELS currently leads IRT in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 53 vs 44. The clearest difference is momentum, while IRT has the stronger value profile.
What is the main difference between ELS and IRT?
ELS leads the current stock comparison as Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from momentum and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. vs Independence Realty Trust, Inc.
ELS leads
ELS leads by 9 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Quality, and the lead has widened from 3 points over 30 sessions. Wall Street currently favors IRT on target upside.
Fragile: 3 of 6 evidence groups support ELS, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.
Independence Realty Trust, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors ELS over IRT, 53 versus 44 as of Oct 21, 2026. ELS's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and quality, while IRT holds the stronger value profile. ELS also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors IRT. 3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor ELS today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. ELS lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 9 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc. and Independence Realty Trust, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare ELS and IRT against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Momentum73 vs 49ELS +24
- Quality44 vs 21ELS +23
- Value47 vs 56IRT +9
- Risk Resilience51 vs 57IRT +6
3 of 6 evidence groups favor ELS. ELS’s edge is concentrated in momentum and quality; IRT keeps a meaningful value edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +16
New signals
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakout — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
Largest factor move: Momentum +15
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
ELS's lead was unchanged in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — ELS and IRT both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
ELS (Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and quality.
IRT (Independence Realty Trust, Inc.): the counter-case, on value, risk resilience, valuation.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
ELSELS on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
IRTIRT on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
IRTIRT on the peer-relative Value factor, by 9 points.
Momentum
ELSELS on the Momentum factor, by 24 points.
Lower downside
IRTIRT on Risk Resilience, by 6 points.
Analyst upside
IRTIRT on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors ELS, analyst targets favor IRT. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | ELS | IRT | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +10.4% | +26% | IRT has more room |
| Target dispersion | +15.3% | +16.1% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 7 | 3 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Dividend growth
| Dividend metric | ELS | IRT |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y dividend CAGR | 8.49% | 4.41% |
| 2020 regular DPS | $1.371 | $0.540 |
| 2025 regular DPS | $2.060 | $0.670 |
| Years increased | 5 | 4 |
| No cut in window | Yes | No (1) |
| Cohort rank | #11 | not ranked |
ELS grew its split-adjusted regular dividend faster over 2020–2025 — 8.49% a year against IRT's 4.41%. ELS never reduced its regular dividend in the window; IRT did in 1 year.
Yield and payout ratio shown elsewhere on this page are current values, not part of the study window.
Split-adjusted regular dividends per share, 2020–2025, excluding special dividends. Research as of Sep 19, 2026.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 6 covered evidence groups favor ELS. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | ELS | 53 vs 44 |
| Fundamentals | ELSon balance | revenue growth 0% vs 1.2%; EPS growth -10.7% vs 49%; TTM ROE 22.9% vs 1.3%; gross margin 43.3% vs 1%; operating margin 35.7% vs 17% — ELS takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | IRT | Value 47 vs 56 |
| Technicals | ELS | Price vs 50-day -3.9% vs -4.2%; vs 200-day -2.5% vs -8.1% |
| Risk Resilience | IRT | Risk Resilience 51 vs 57 |
| Analyst expectations | IRT | Target upside 10.4% vs 26% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of ELS and IRT and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 9 points.
- Only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on ELS.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20ELS lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 9 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- ELS +9
- 53 vs 44
- 7 sessions ago
- ELS +5
- 48 vs 43
- 30 sessions ago
- ELS +3
- 42 vs 39
- 90 sessions ago
- Level
- 46 vs 46
The lead changed hands 6 times in this window, most recently on Aug 27 when ELS moved ahead of IRT.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only ELS
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- BB Upper Band Breach — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakout — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon
1 bullish / 3 bearish, conflicted
Only IRT
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (1.1%)
- Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
ELS leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 4 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -4.53%, AIQ +4 points).
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 4 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -0.2%, AIQ +4 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1IRT closes the Momentum gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to ELS's edge.
- 2IRT's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3ELS's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 3 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
ELS leads on balance| Metric | ELS | IRT |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 0% | 1.2% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -10.7% | 49% |
| Gross margin | 43.3% | 1% |
| Operating margin | 35.7% | 17% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 22.9% | 1.3% |
| Debt to equity | 1.88 | 0.73 |
Performance
ELS leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | ELS | IRT |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 5.1% | 0% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | 2.8% | 0.6% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -5.4% | -9.2% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -4.7% | -6.6% |
| Year to date | 2.2% | -15% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -0.4% | -7.6% |
Technicals
ELS has the stronger structure| Metric | ELS | IRT |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 74.4 | 58.3 |
| ADX (14) | 28.3 | 20.5 |
| Price vs 50-day | -3.9% | -4.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | -2.5% | -8.1% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 14.5% | 19.1% |
Risk
IRT is the more resilient| Metric | ELS | IRT |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | -0.18 | 0.16 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.17 | -0.43 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.28 | -0.61 |
| Max drawdown | -15.7% | -18.7% |
| Current drawdown | -9.4% | -16.4% |
| Annualized volatility | 17.9% | 21.7% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.7% | -2.2% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, ELS or IRT?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, ELS is the stronger of the two as of Oct 21, 2026, scoring 53 against IRT's 44. The edge comes from momentum and quality. IRT is not without a case — it holds the better value profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is ELS or IRT the better buy right now?
ELS carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 21, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 3 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor ELS over IRT?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. ELS leads Momentum by 24 points; ELS leads Quality by 23 points; IRT leads Value by 9 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, ELS or IRT?
Analyst price targets imply +10.4% upside for ELS and +26% for IRT, so the Street currently favors IRT. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors ELS. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, ELS or IRT?
IRT is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. IRT on the peer-relative Value factor, by 9 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, ELS or IRT?
IRT on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, ELS or IRT?
ELS on the Momentum factor, by 24 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, ELS or IRT?
IRT is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. IRT on Risk Resilience, by 6 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is ELS more profitable than IRT?
ELS leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 43.3% vs 1%; operating margin 35.7% vs 17%; ttm roe 22.9% vs 1.3%.
Is ELS's lead over IRT getting stronger or weaker?
ELS lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 3 to 9 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-21 and 2026-10-20. The lead has changed hands 6 times in that window, most recently on 2026-08-27, when ELS moved ahead of IRT.
What would change the ELS vs IRT verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: IRT closes the Momentum gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to ELS's edge; IRT's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; ELS's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 3 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about ELS and IRT?
ELS: 2 bullish / 3 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. IRT: 1 bullish / 3 bearish, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on ELS is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On IRT it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare ELS and IRT with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.