1,160,158 Shares in RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Purchased by Donald Smith & CO. Inc.

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,160,158 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $13,597,000. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned 0.74% of RLJ Lodging Trust as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 1.4% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 87,008 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 1,214 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 0.4% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 326,141 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,209,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 18,966 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 1,525 shares in the last quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC grew its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Vert Asset Management LLC now owns 62,650 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $734,000 after buying an additional 1,787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 6.6% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 36,554 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $358,000 after buying an additional 2,271 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company's stock.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

Shares of RLJ remained flat at $11.11 during trading hours on Monday. The stock had a trading volume of 1,202,811 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,261,616. The company has a quick ratio of 3.46, a current ratio of 3.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. The business's fifty day moving average is $11.71 and its 200 day moving average is $11.21. The firm has a market cap of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.71. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 12 month low of $9.06 and a 12 month high of $12.39.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 5.76% and a return on equity of 3.79%. The firm had revenue of $319.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $313.34 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. RLJ Lodging Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 125.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RLJ has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com raised RLJ Lodging Trust from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on RLJ Lodging Trust in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $15.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, RLJ Lodging Trust currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.

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