RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Downgraded by StockNews.com

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $15.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, RLJ Lodging Trust currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.90.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

Shares of RLJ stock traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $10.66. 1,691,184 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,281,693. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.27. The firm has a market cap of $1.66 billion, a PE ratio of 38.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 2.81. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 1-year low of $9.06 and a 1-year high of $12.39.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $319.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $313.34 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a return on equity of 3.53% and a net margin of 5.29%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RLJ. Hazelview Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $82,000. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the third quarter valued at $98,000. Metis Global Partners LLC acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the fourth quarter valued at $122,000. Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the fourth quarter worth about $128,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System acquired a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 3rd quarter worth about $138,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.