Brokerages Set RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) PT at $9.25

Key Points

• RLJ Lodging Trust has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from five research firms, with price targets ranging from $6.00 to $12.00.
• The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the most recent quarter, slightly exceeding analyst expectations, alongside a revenue increase of 1.1% year-over-year.
• RLJ Lodging Trust declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15, representing an annualized dividend yield of 8.2%, although the payout ratio is notably high at 230.77%.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the five ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $9.25.

A number of research firms have recently commented on RLJ. Wall Street Zen downgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $7.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. KBC Group NV purchased a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 402.7% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,675 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 2,944 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the second quarter worth approximately $76,000. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $82,000. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company's stock.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

Shares of RLJ traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $7.32. 1,508,389 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,471,702. The stock has a market cap of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.15 and a beta of 1.54. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $7.46 and a 200-day moving average of $7.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 2.57 and a current ratio of 2.57. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52 week low of $6.16 and a 52 week high of $10.84.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 3.43% and a net margin of 4.84%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.51 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.2%. RLJ Lodging Trust's payout ratio is 230.77%.

RLJ Lodging Trust Company Profile

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.