RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Stock Moved Up to “Strong-Buy” by Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target 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. Bank of America raised their price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.25 to $10.50 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, RLJ Lodging Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.81.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Down 0.8%

RLJ opened at $12.61 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 5.71, a current ratio of 5.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. RLJ Lodging Trust has a twelve month low of $6.68 and a twelve month high of $12.89. The company 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. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $11.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.87.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 1.52% and a net margin of 2.00%. The company had revenue of $382.99 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $370.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 51.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 87,545 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $967,000 after buying an additional 29,898 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC boosted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 46,203 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $511,000 after buying an additional 1,387 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 234.9% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,614 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 2,535 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 54.8% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,705 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

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.