RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• RLJ Lodging Trust reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $12.57 and recently changing hands near $12.46, up from a prior close of $12.25.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is “Hold”, with a $10.83 average price target, below the stock’s recent trading level. Several firms raised targets to $12–$13, while others maintained neutral or reduced ratings.
• RLJ reported quarterly revenue of $339.98 million and an adjusted loss of $0.05 per share, beating estimates, and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share—equivalent to a 4.9% annualized yield.

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $12.57 and last traded at $12.4550, with a volume of 209058 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $12.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RLJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $13.00 price target (up from $10.00) on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. UBS Group set a $13.00 target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their price target on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered RLJ Lodging Trust from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $9.00 to $11.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $10.83.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Up 0.5%

The company has a current ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 2.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $11.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.17. The firm has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1,231.50 and a beta of 1.09.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.02. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 1.84% and a return on equity of 1.37%. The firm had revenue of $339.98 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $323.51 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.31 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.26 EPS for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. RLJ Lodging Trust's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -6,000.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 2,721.1% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 3,347 shares in the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 166.8% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,618 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 2,887 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. 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-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.

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