RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Thursday.

Separately, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, RLJ Lodging Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.90.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

Shares of RLJ opened at $10.07 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $11.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.31. RLJ Lodging Trust has a one year low of $9.06 and a one year high of $12.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 2.81 and a current ratio of 2.81. The stock has a market cap of $1.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.82 and a beta of 1.70.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $319.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $313.34 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 3.53% and a net margin of 5.29%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. HG Vora Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,818,000. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $13,597,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $11,324,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 4,772.9% in the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 1,175,932 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $13,782,000 after acquiring an additional 1,151,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $11,258,000. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

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.