RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Sets New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $8.62 and last traded at $8.63, with a volume of 656520 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RLJ has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.50 to $9.75 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. 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 Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $9.60 and a 200 day moving average of $9.62. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a PE ratio of 30.15, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.69.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $329.99 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $324.66 million. Equities research analysts predict 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. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.86%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 222.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 5.0% during the third 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 purchasing an additional 170,484 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 97.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 271,749 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,495,000 after purchasing an additional 134,093 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,331,818 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,018,000 after purchasing an additional 232,393 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 4.9% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,166,593 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $47,429,000 after purchasing an additional 240,254 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

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.