RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from “sell” to “hold,” adding to a broader wave of mixed analyst sentiment on the hotel REIT.
• The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $7.50, with recent analyst moves including Truist cutting its target to $7.00 and Weiss Ratings also upgrading it to hold.
• RLJ posted a better-than-expected quarterly result, reporting a loss of $0.05 per share versus the expected $0.07 loss and revenue of $339.98 million, while shares traded around $8.97 near their 52-week high of $8.98.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on RLJ. Truist Financial cut their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $8.50 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $7.50.

RLJ Lodging Trust Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of RLJ opened at $8.97 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $7.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.66. The stock has a market cap of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of -896.50 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 2.89 and a quick ratio of 2.96. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 12 month low of $6.54 and a 12 month high of $8.98.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.02. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 1.37% and a net margin of 1.84%.The firm had revenue of $339.98 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $323.51 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.31 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust's quarterly revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of RLJ Lodging Trust

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 29.8% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,992 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,374 shares in the last quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 10,972 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,120 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,741 shares in the last quarter. M&G PLC grew its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. M&G PLC now owns 24,355 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 181,568 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,353,000 after purchasing an additional 2,453 shares during the period. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

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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