Head-To-Head Comparison: RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) versus Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE:RHP)

Ryman Hospitality Properties (NYSE:RHP) and RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) are both real estate companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership and earnings.

Profitability

This table compares Ryman Hospitality Properties and RLJ Lodging Trust’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ryman Hospitality Properties	9.91%	34.54%	4.39%
RLJ Lodging Trust	2.00%	1.52%	0.57%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Ryman Hospitality Properties and RLJ Lodging Trust, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ryman Hospitality Properties	0	1	11	0	2.92
RLJ Lodging Trust	3	5	2	0	1.90

Ryman Hospitality Properties presently has a consensus price target of $129.73, suggesting a potential upside of 4.48%. RLJ Lodging Trust has a consensus price target of $10.94, suggesting a potential downside of 0.87%. Given Ryman Hospitality Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Ryman Hospitality Properties is more favorable than RLJ Lodging Trust.

Volatility & Risk

Ryman Hospitality Properties has a beta of 1.2, meaning that its stock price is 20% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, RLJ Lodging Trust has a beta of 1.09, meaning that its stock price is 9% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ryman Hospitality Properties and RLJ Lodging Trust”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ryman Hospitality Properties	$2.58 billion	3.04	$243.43 million	$4.09	30.36
RLJ Lodging Trust	$1.35 billion	1.25	$28.51 million	N/A	N/A

Ryman Hospitality Properties has higher revenue and earnings than RLJ Lodging Trust.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

94.5% of Ryman Hospitality Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.3% of RLJ Lodging Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.2% of Ryman Hospitality Properties shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of RLJ Lodging Trust shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Dividends

Ryman Hospitality Properties pays an annual dividend of $4.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.9%. RLJ Lodging Trust pays an annual dividend of $0.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.4%. Ryman Hospitality Properties pays out 117.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ryman Hospitality Properties has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years and RLJ Lodging Trust has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. RLJ Lodging Trust is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Ryman Hospitality Properties beats RLJ Lodging Trust on 12 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ryman Hospitality Properties

Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHP) is a leading lodging and hospitality real estate investment trust that specializes in upscale convention center resorts and entertainment experiences. The Company's holdings include Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center; Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center; and Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, five of the top seven largest non-gaming convention center hotels in the United States based on total indoor meeting space. The Company also owns the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa as well as two ancillary hotels adjacent to our Gaylord Hotels properties. The Company's hotel portfolio is managed by Marriott International and includes a combined total of 11,414 rooms as well as more than 3 million square feet of total indoor and outdoor meeting space in top convention and leisure destinations across the country. RHP also owns a 70% controlling ownership interest in Opry Entertainment Group (OEG), which is composed of entities owning a growing collection of iconic and emerging country music brands, including the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium, WSM 650 AM, Ole Red, Nashville-area attractions, and Block 21, a mixed-use entertainment, lodging, office and retail complex, including the W Austin Hotel and the ACL Live at the Moody Theater, located in downtown Austin, Texas. RHP operates OEG as its Entertainment segment in a taxable REIT subsidiary, and its results are consolidated in the Company's financial results.

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.