RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Shares Acquired by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,594 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,796 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust were worth $180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 78.2% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,230 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter worth about $107,000. Creative Planning acquired a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter worth about $275,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. Finally, Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the third quarter worth about $351,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

Shares of RLJ stock opened at $9.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.68. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 12-month low of $8.74 and a 12-month high of $12.26. The business’s 50 day moving average is $9.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.63. The company has a current ratio of 2.74, a quick ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $324.66 million. Analysts expect that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.49%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, December 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is currently 222.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RLJ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.50 to $9.75 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.79.

RLJ Lodging Trust Company 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.