RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.290-1.450 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 1.220. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

RLJ Lodging Trust Price Performance

RLJ stock opened at $8.32 on Tuesday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a one year low of $6.54 and a one year high of $8.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $7.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a PE ratio of 415.75 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.40. The business had revenue of $339.98 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $323.51 million. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.11% and a return on equity of 1.54%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.31 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.22 earnings per share for the current year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust’s payout ratio is 3,000.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on RLJ shares. Truist Financial reduced their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. Zacks Research raised RLJ Lodging Trust from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Monday, April 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $8.50 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. They issued an “underweight” rating and a $6.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $8.00.

Key RLJ Lodging Trust News

Here are the key news stories impacting RLJ Lodging Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat — RLJ reported FFO/EPS of $0.33 and revenue of ~$340M, topping consensus and showing year‑over‑year growth in comparable RevPAR and hotel EBITDA. Investors see the quarter as proof of operating momentum. Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 guidance — Management raised full‑year EPS guidance to a range above Street expectations (company-provided 1.29–1.45 vs. consensus ~1.22), signaling confidence in ongoing recovery and cash flow. Guidance Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Share buyback added — Management announced a new buyback program (discussed in post‑earnings coverage), which supports EPS and is a direct shareholder‑friendly action. This is a near‑term tailwind for the stock. Buyback & Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: RevPAR and non‑room revenue initiatives — RLJ nudged up RevPAR expectations and emphasized growing ancillary revenue (F&B, meetings, other services), which can expand margins if trends hold. RevPAR Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call & materials available — Full transcript and slide deck provide color on rate mix, group trends and capex plans; useful for owners evaluating sustainability of the beat. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation takeaways — Recent coverage revisits valuation after the quarter and buyback; some analysts see upside if guidance is sustained, others note REIT metrics make valuation sensitive to rate expectations. Valuation Note
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term caution flagged — Some analysts (e.g., Seeking Alpha piece) caution that near‑term performance could be uneven and that upside depends on continued demand and corporate/group recovery. Cautious Short Term
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet & profitability considerations — Despite operational gains, RLJ shows low ROE/net margins and levered capitalization (debt/equity ~1.2). That makes the REIT sensitive to interest rates or slower demand recovery. Financial Metrics

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the 4th quarter worth about $136,000. XTX Topco Ltd boosted its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 15.3% in the 4th quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 44,165 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 5,874 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the 4th quarter worth approximately $914,000. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust by 141.6% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 188,352 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 110,393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 537,105 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,001,000 after acquiring an additional 37,052 shares during the last quarter. 92.35% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.