RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Shares Break Above 200-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $10.58 and traded as high as $12.38. RLJ Lodging Trust shares last traded at $12.2740, with a volume of 2,426,213 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on RLJ shares. Zacks Research cut shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, September 28th. Barclays raised their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $11.81.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average is $11.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.54 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 5.71 and a quick ratio of 5.71.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $382.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $370.49 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 1.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter worth about $145,895,000. Aegis Financial Corp grew its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 2.5% during the second quarter. Aegis Financial Corp now owns 2,049,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,286,000 after acquiring an additional 50,000 shares during the last quarter. Palisade Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter worth approximately $13,440,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,482,000. Finally, Algert Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,282,000. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.