Zacks Research Upgrades RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) to Strong-Buy

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) was upgraded by Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Zacks reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on RLJ. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, RLJ Lodging Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.81.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RLJ opened at $12.61 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 5.71, a quick ratio of 5.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. RLJ Lodging Trust has a twelve month low of $6.68 and a twelve month high of $12.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $11.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.87. The stock has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.12.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.37. The business had revenue of $382.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $370.49 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 1.52%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 33.2% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,837 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 957 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 29.8% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,374 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 3.1% during the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 46,203 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,387 shares in the last quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 7.3% during the second quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 21,889 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 12.3% in the first quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 17,904 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,963 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 (NYSE:RLJ) is a self-advised real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of premium-branded, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The company’s properties primarily operate under brands affiliated with Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Hyatt Hotels, among other major lodging companies.

RLJ’s hotels are generally located in urban and densely populated areas, including major business and leisure markets across the United States. The properties provide guest accommodations and related hospitality services, while independent hotel management companies typically oversee day-to-day operations.

The company was formed in 2011 and is named after Robert L.