RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Here’s Why

Shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $7.20 and last traded at $7.23, with a volume of 636066 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.96.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on RLJ shares. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.50 to $9.75 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial cut 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 research report on Friday, March 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.82.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.72, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $9.21 and a 200 day moving average of $9.55. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.36. The company had revenue of $329.99 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $324.66 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 5.19% and a return on equity of 3.58%. Sell-side analysts predict that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.37%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is currently 222.22%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Patricia L. Gibson bought 10,000 shares of RLJ Lodging Trust stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.03 per share, for a total transaction of $80,300.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 124,217 shares in the company, valued at approximately $997,462.51. This represents a 8.76 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,678,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 890,487 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,092,000 after buying an additional 48,734 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $9,714,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 225,823 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,306,000 after buying an additional 20,100 shares during the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.