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

Key Points

• RLJ Lodging Trust has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from five analysts, with the average price target set at $9.25.
• Institutional investors currently own 92.35% of RLJ Lodging Trust's stock, with EverSource Wealth Advisors raising their stake by an impressive 2,721.1% in the second quarter.
• The recent quarterly earnings report showed RLJ Lodging Trust earning $0.48 EPS, slightly above estimates, while revenue saw a year-over-year decline of 1.7%.

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the five ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $9.50.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

NYSE:RLJ traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $7.86. 2,894,251 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,381,378. RLJ Lodging Trust has a twelve month low of $6.16 and a twelve month high of $10.84. The firm has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.40 and a beta of 1.50. The stock's 50-day moving average is $7.53 and its 200-day moving average is $7.66. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.02. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 4.23% and a return on equity of 3.03%. The business had revenue of $363.10 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $365.30 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.380-1.580 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.6%. RLJ Lodging Trust's dividend payout ratio is currently 285.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 192.4% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 2,782,181 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $21,951,000 after buying an additional 1,830,803 shares during the period. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 28.3% during the second quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 7,423,055 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $54,040,000 after buying an additional 1,637,942 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 286.2% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,618,413 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $11,783,000 after buying an additional 1,199,318 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 179.5% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,434,974 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,447,000 after buying an additional 921,548 shares during the period. Finally, Invenomic Capital Management LP purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $9,036,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company's stock.

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.