Vestcor Inc Increases Position in RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ)

Vestcor Inc raised its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 141,261 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,875 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc’s holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust were worth $1,442,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $107,000. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 31.0% during the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 15,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 3,738 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 25.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,991,625 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $18,283,000 after purchasing an additional 400,100 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $406,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in RLJ Lodging Trust by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,592,272 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,977,000 after purchasing an additional 170,484 shares during the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Up 2.9 %

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust stock opened at $8.74 on Friday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a twelve month low of $8.46 and a twelve month high of $12.13. The company has a quick ratio of 2.74, a current ratio of 2.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company’s 50 day moving average is $9.58 and its 200 day moving average is $9.62. The company has a market cap of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.69.

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, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.36. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 3.58% and a net margin of 5.19%. The firm had revenue of $329.99 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $324.66 million. Research analysts anticipate that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 EPS for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.86%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio is currently 222.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on RLJ. StockNews.com raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.50 to $9.75 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, RLJ Lodging Trust presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.79.

RLJ Lodging Trust 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.