RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday. The company traded as high as $12.94 and last traded at $12.7780, with a volume of 45,925 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $12.54.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Zacks Research raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.81.

RLJ Lodging Trust Trading Up 2.8%

The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 214.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50-day moving average is $11.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 5.71 and a quick ratio of 5.71.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The real estate investment trust reported ($0.01) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.03. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.55% and a return on equity of 1.99%. The firm had revenue of $354.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $343.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.27 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 30th. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio is presently 1,000.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 234.9% in the third 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 33.2% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,837 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 29.8% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,992 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 1,374 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 54.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,705 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

RLJ Lodging Trust Company Profile

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.