RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $10.6111.

RLJ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.25 to $10.50 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $7.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $9.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $7.00 to $9.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:RLJ opened at $12.34 on Thursday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52-week low of $6.54 and a 52-week high of $12.46. The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -1,233.50 and a beta of 1.09. The business’s 50 day moving average is $10.87 and its 200 day moving average is $8.94. The company has a quick ratio of 2.89, a current ratio of 2.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.07) by $0.02. The company had revenue of $339.98 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $323.51 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 1.37% and a net margin of 1.84%.RLJ Lodging Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.31 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.26 EPS for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -6,000.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 13,140,744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $97,899,000 after acquiring an additional 2,463,189 shares in the last quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 4th quarter worth $13,254,000. Aegis Financial Corp bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,475,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 286.2% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,618,413 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $11,783,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 179.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,434,974 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,447,000 after purchasing an additional 921,548 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

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.