RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) have received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $10.9444.

Several research firms recently issued reports on RLJ. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH boosted their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 7th. UBS Group set a $13.00 price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Thursday, June 18th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 29.8% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 1,374 shares during the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 10,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 1,661 shares during the last quarter. State of Wyoming increased its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 17,904 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $133,000 after purchasing an additional 1,963 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 181,568 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 2,721.1% in the 2nd 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 during the period. 92.35% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust stock opened at $11.49 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $11.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.99 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 5.71, a current ratio of 5.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52 week low of $6.54 and a 52 week high of $12.89.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.37. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 1.52%. The company had revenue of $382.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $370.49 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 30th.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

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.