Donald Smith & CO. Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ)

Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) by 18.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,756,233 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 901,111 shares during the quarter. RLJ Lodging Trust comprises approximately 1.4% of Donald Smith & CO. Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. owned about 3.75% of RLJ Lodging Trust worth $58,771,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of RLJ. US Bancorp DE increased its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 78.2% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,230 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $112,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC grew its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC now owns 13,659 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 2,624 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter worth $146,000. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 17,594 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $180,000 after acquiring an additional 1,796 shares during the period. 92.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:RLJ opened at $7.99 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.55. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52-week low of $7.79 and a 52-week high of $11.99. The company has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.36. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 5.19% and a return on equity of 3.58%. The firm had revenue of $329.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $324.66 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is 222.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RLJ has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial lowered RLJ Lodging Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.50 to $9.75 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, RLJ Lodging Trust currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.82.

Insider Buying and Selling at RLJ Lodging Trust

In related news, Director Patricia L. Gibson bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $8.03 per share, with a total value of $80,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 124,217 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $997,462.51. The trade was a 8.76 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

RLJ Lodging Trust Profile

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.