Donald Smith & CO. Inc. Purchases New Stake in RLJ Lodging Trust $RLJ

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,311,807 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock, valued at approximately $145,895,000. RLJ Lodging Trust comprises about 2.6% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of RLJ Lodging Trust at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 2,721.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 3,347 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 166.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,618 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 2,887 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter worth about $50,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at about $73,000. 92.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

RLJ Lodging Trust Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE RLJ opened at $11.49 on Friday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a one year low of $6.54 and a one year high of $12.89. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 5.71 and a current ratio of 5.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 1.09.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $382.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $370.49 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 1.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $13.00 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group set a $13.00 price target on RLJ Lodging Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Bank of America boosted their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.25 to $10.50 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $7.00 to $10.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $10.94.

RLJ Lodging Trust Company 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.