RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Stock Has Average Price Target of $11.81

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $11.81.

A number of research firms recently commented on RLJ. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH increased their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $12.00 to $13.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Zacks Research upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.25 to $10.50 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

Shares of RLJ stock opened at $12.51 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $11.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.99. The stock has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a PE ratio of 208.58, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a quick ratio of 5.71 and a current ratio of 5.71. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 52-week low of $6.75 and a 52-week high of $12.94.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.03. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 1.52% and a net margin of 2.00%. The company had revenue of $354.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $343.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 EPS for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 30th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 30th. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is presently 1,000.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in 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. Palisade Capital Management LP bought a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the second quarter valued at approximately $13,440,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,990,774 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $44,098,000 after purchasing an additional 777,588 shares during the last quarter. Aegis Financial Corp raised its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 57.2% during the 1st quarter. Aegis Financial Corp now owns 1,999,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,836,000 after acquiring an additional 727,608 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter worth about $7,482,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.