RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Thursday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wolfe Research lowered RLJ Lodging Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, RLJ Lodging Trust has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.92.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of RLJ stock opened at $9.83 on Thursday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a one year low of $8.74 and a one year high of $12.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 2.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $10.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.56. The stock has a market cap of $1.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.70.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.23). The business had revenue of $345.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $342.93 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 3.58% and a net margin of 5.19%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.40 earnings per share. Analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio is 206.90%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quarry LP raised its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 197.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,465 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 3,627 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 34.9% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,051 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 1,564 shares during the period. Ground Swell Capital LLC bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at about $93,000. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at about $107,000. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 31.0% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 15,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $145,000 after buying an additional 3,738 shares during the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

RLJ Lodging Trust Company Profile

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.