Zacks Research Upgrades RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) to Strong-Buy

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Thursday, Zacks reports.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on RLJ. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.00 to $11.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Bank of America raised their price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust from $9.25 to $10.50 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Barclays lifted their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $11.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, RLJ Lodging Trust presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $11.81.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

NYSE:RLJ opened at $12.61 on Thursday. RLJ Lodging Trust has a twelve month low of $6.68 and a twelve month high of $12.89. The company has a current ratio of 5.71, a quick ratio of 5.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.50. The company has a 50-day moving average of $11.37 and a 200-day moving average of $9.87. The firm has a market cap of $1.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.12.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.37. RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 1.52%. The business had revenue of $382.99 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $370.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. RLJ Lodging Trust has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.370-1.500 EPS. Analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,377,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,544,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,727,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 122.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 251,168 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after buying an additional 138,259 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in RLJ Lodging Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,640,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) is a self-advised real estate investment trust that owns a portfolio of premium-branded, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The company’s properties primarily operate under brands affiliated with Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide Holdings and Hyatt Hotels, among other major lodging companies.

RLJ’s hotels are generally located in urban and densely populated areas, including major business and leisure markets across the United States. The properties provide guest accommodations and related hospitality services, while independent hotel management companies typically oversee day-to-day operations.

The company was formed in 2011 and is named after Robert L.