RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) vs. CBL & Associates Properties (OTCMKTS:CBLAQ) Head to Head Comparison

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) and CBL & Associates Properties (OTCMKTS:CBLAQ) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings, dividends, valuation, risk and institutional ownership.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for RLJ Lodging Trust and CBL & Associates Properties, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
RLJ Lodging Trust	0	2	3	0	2.60
CBL & Associates Properties	0	0	0	0	N/A

RLJ Lodging Trust presently has a consensus target price of $13.90, suggesting a potential upside of 17.60%. Given RLJ Lodging Trust’s higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe RLJ Lodging Trust is more favorable than CBL & Associates Properties.

Profitability

This table compares RLJ Lodging Trust and CBL & Associates Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
RLJ Lodging Trust	5.76%	3.79%	1.55%
CBL & Associates Properties	1.22%	0.95%	0.13%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

92.4% of RLJ Lodging Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 2.6% of RLJ Lodging Trust shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 20.1% of CBL & Associates Properties shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares RLJ Lodging Trust and CBL & Associates Properties’ revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
RLJ Lodging Trust	$1.33 billion	1.39	$76.40 million	$0.32	36.94
CBL & Associates Properties	$535.29 million	N/A	$6.55 million	N/A	N/A

RLJ Lodging Trust has higher revenue and earnings than CBL & Associates Properties.

Summary

RLJ Lodging Trust beats CBL & Associates Properties on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

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.

About CBL & Associates Properties

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust, which owns and operates retail properties. The firm engages in owning, developing, acquiring, leasing, managing and operating regional shopping malls, open-air centers, community centers and office properties. It operates through Malls and All Other segments. Its properties include Malls, Associated Centers, Community Centers, Office Buildings, Construction Properties and Mortgages. The company was founded on July 13, 1993 and is headquartered in Chattanooga, TN.