Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Lowers Position in RLJ Lodging Trust $RLJ

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH trimmed its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) by 13.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 496,196 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 80,371 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust were worth $3,573,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 2,721.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 3,347 shares during the period. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 55.2% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,870 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $93,000. Finally, Belvedere Trading LLC purchased a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $125,000. 92.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at RLJ Lodging Trust

In related news, Director Robin Mcbride Zeigler sold 13,413 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.51, for a total value of $100,731.63. Following the sale, the director owned 37,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $279,064.09. This represents a 26.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on RLJ. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $6.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $8.64.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

RLJ Lodging Trust stock opened at $7.28 on Thursday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $10.06. The company has a quick ratio of 2.55, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 145.50 and a beta of 1.13.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $330.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $326.13 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The business’s revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is currently 1,200.00%.

RLJ Lodging Trust Profile

RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-managed, publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns and operates premium-branded, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The company’s portfolio is concentrated in major U.S. markets, targeting properties that benefit from strong corporate and leisure demand, limited new supply and established brand affiliations.

The trust’s hotels are affiliated with leading global lodging brands across the spectrum of service levels, including lifestyle and upscale segments.