RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) saw unusually-high trading volume on Monday . Approximately 3,262,402 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 103% from the previous session’s volume of 1,610,286 shares.The stock last traded at $7.89 and had previously closed at $7.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on RLJ shares. StockNews.com raised RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial lowered shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $11.00 to $10.00 in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.82.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $9.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $9.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 2.74.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $329.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $324.66 million. On average, research analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.57%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 222.22%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $406,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,592,272 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,977,000 after buying an additional 170,484 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 12.3% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 55,310 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 6,039 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 294.1% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 841,753 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $7,727,000 after buying an additional 628,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atom Investors LP lifted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 106.0% in the third quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 147,920 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,358,000 after purchasing an additional 76,112 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

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.