RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Stock Now Rated “Reduce” by Wall Street Brokerages

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $11.81.

RLJ has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial cut RLJ Lodging Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.25 to $10.50 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

RLJ stock opened at $12.61 on Friday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 1-year low of $6.68 and a 1-year high of $12.89. The company has a current ratio of 5.71, a quick ratio of 5.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.87. The firm has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a PE ratio of 8.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.12.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $382.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $370.49 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 1.52%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Readystate Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter worth about $1,377,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,544,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,727,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 122.5% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 251,168 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 138,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,640,000. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) is a self-advised real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of premium-branded, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The company’s properties primarily operate under brands affiliated with Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Hyatt Hotels, among other major lodging companies.

RLJ’s hotels are generally located in urban and densely populated areas, including major business and leisure markets across the United States. The properties provide guest accommodations and related hospitality services, while independent hotel management companies typically oversee day-to-day operations.

The company was formed in 2011 and is named after Robert L.