LADENBURG THALM/SH SH Initiates Coverage on RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ)

Investment analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) in a research note issued on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage set a “neutral” rating and a $8.50 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH’s target price points to a potential upside of 13.56% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays started coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $6.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $8.14.

RLJ Lodging Trust Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:RLJ opened at $7.49 on Thursday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 1 year low of $6.16 and a 1 year high of $8.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 374.25 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 2.96 and a quick ratio of 2.96. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $7.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.53.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $328.59 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $317.95 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.11% and a return on equity of 1.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.33 EPS. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.210-1.410 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. now owns 13,140,744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $97,899,000 after buying an additional 2,463,189 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,204,026 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $37,469,000 after acquiring an additional 226,335 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,844,974 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,650,000 after acquiring an additional 114,163 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,709,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $27,637,000 after acquiring an additional 74,252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in RLJ Lodging Trust by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,127,412 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $23,299,000 after acquiring an additional 94,291 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

RLJ Lodging Trust Company Profile

RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-managed, publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns and operates premium-branded, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The company’s portfolio is concentrated in major U.S. markets, targeting properties that benefit from strong corporate and leisure demand, limited new supply and established brand affiliations.

The trust’s hotels are affiliated with leading global lodging brands across the spectrum of service levels, including lifestyle and upscale segments.