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

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, two have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $8.6429.

RLJ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays began coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $6.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RLJ opened at $7.64 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 381.75 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 2.96, a current ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52-week low of $6.16 and a 52-week high of $8.98.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.04. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 1.54% and a net margin of 2.11%.The business had revenue of $328.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $317.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. RLJ Lodging Trust’s revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.210-1.410 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is 3,000.00%.

Institutional Trading of RLJ Lodging Trust

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 2,721.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 3,347 shares in the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 166.8% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,618 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,887 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 55.2% during the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.