RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $9.50.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:RLJ opened at $7.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 2.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07 and a beta of 1.50. The company’s 50-day moving average is $7.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.49. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 1-year low of $6.16 and a 1-year high of $10.84.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 3.03%. The firm had revenue of $363.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $365.30 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.380-1.580 EPS. Analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 30th. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 285.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 28.3% during the 2nd quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 7,423,055 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,040,000 after buying an additional 1,637,942 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,977,691 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,238,000 after buying an additional 137,014 shares in the last quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP now owns 3,071,508 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,234,000 after buying an additional 11,235 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 192.4% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,782,181 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $21,951,000 after buying an additional 1,830,803 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 42.2% during the 2nd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 2,363,749 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $17,208,000 after buying an additional 701,535 shares in the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns primarily premium-branded, high-margin, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The Company's portfolio currently consists of 96 hotels with approximately 21,200 rooms, located in 23 states and the District of Columbia and an ownership interest in one unconsolidated hotel with 171 rooms.