RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $8.96, but opened at $8.63. RLJ Lodging Trust shares last traded at $8.94, with a volume of 142,420 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on RLJ shares. StockNews.com raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.50 to $9.75 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.79.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of 30.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 2.74 and a current ratio of 2.74. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.61.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.36. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 5.19% and a return on equity of 3.58%. The firm had revenue of $329.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $324.66 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.75%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 222.22%.

Institutional Trading of RLJ Lodging Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $3,678,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 890,487 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,092,000 after purchasing an additional 48,734 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $9,714,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 225,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,306,000 after buying an additional 20,100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

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.