RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.15

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share by the real estate investment trust on Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st.

RLJ Lodging Trust has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.7%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 3 years. RLJ Lodging Trust has a dividend payout ratio of 600.0% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities analysts expect RLJ Lodging Trust to earn $1.42 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 42.3%.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

NYSE:RLJ traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $7.43. 1,297,753 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,740,852. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 2.96 and a current ratio of 2.96. The company has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 371.65 and a beta of 1.07. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.54. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 1 year low of $6.16 and a 1 year high of $9.04.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.28 by $0.04. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.11% and a return on equity of 1.54%. The company had revenue of $328.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $317.95 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.210-1.410 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in RLJ. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 2,721.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,470 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 3,347 shares during the period. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 2,887 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 55.2% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,258 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,870 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

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.