RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.6429.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on RLJ. Barclays began coverage on RLJ Lodging Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $6.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James Financial raised RLJ Lodging Trust from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $9.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Zacks Research upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a report on Monday, December 29th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RLJ. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 17.8% in the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 10,972 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 1,661 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming lifted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 23.6% in the third quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 9,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $66,000 after acquiring an additional 1,741 shares during the last quarter. M&G PLC boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 8.2% in the third quarter. M&G PLC now owns 24,355 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $170,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 55.2% in the second quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 3.7% during the second quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 56,709 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 2,048 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:RLJ opened at $8.22 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 164.48 and a beta of 1.12. RLJ Lodging Trust has a twelve month low of $6.16 and a twelve month high of $9.67. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $7.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.55, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.3%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 1,200.00%.

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.