Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Grows Stock Position in RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Free Report) by 4,772.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,175,932 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 1,151,800 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd owned about 0.75% of RLJ Lodging Trust worth $13,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ziegler Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $984,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $747,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 3rd quarter valued at $11,258,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 202.1% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 985,402 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $11,647,000 after purchasing an additional 659,261 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 126,244 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,480,000 after purchasing an additional 4,414 shares during the period. 92.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RLJ traded up $0.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.04. 1,036,789 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,148,333. The company's 50 day moving average is $11.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 34.50, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52 week low of $9.06 and a 52 week high of $12.39.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $319.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $313.34 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 3.79% and a net margin of 5.76%. The company's revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. RLJ Lodging Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 125.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on RLJ. Wolfe Research began coverage on RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $15.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, RLJ Lodging Trust currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $13.90.

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.