RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) Short Interest Update

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 15,447,430 shares, a decrease of 16.2% from the November 30th total of 18,435,338 shares. Approximately 10.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,475,848 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Based on an average daily volume of 2,475,848 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 6.2 days. Approximately 10.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance

RLJ opened at $7.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 148.80 and a beta of 1.13. RLJ Lodging Trust has a 1-year low of $6.16 and a 1-year high of $10.30. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $7.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 2.55 and a quick ratio of 2.55.

RLJ Lodging Trust (NYSE:RLJ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). RLJ Lodging Trust had a net margin of 2.48% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The firm had revenue of $330.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $326.13 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that RLJ Lodging Trust will post 1.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

RLJ Lodging Trust Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.1%. RLJ Lodging Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 1,200.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RLJ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on RLJ Lodging Trust from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $7.50 price objective (down previously from $9.00) on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Zacks Research lowered shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “market perform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $9.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.08.

Insider Transactions at RLJ Lodging Trust

In other RLJ Lodging Trust news, Director Robin Mcbride Zeigler sold 13,413 shares of RLJ Lodging Trust stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.51, for a total value of $100,731.63. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 37,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $279,064.09. The trade was a 26.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On RLJ Lodging Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in RLJ Lodging Trust by 1,138.4% during the 1st quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 10,576 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 9,722 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC purchased a new stake in RLJ Lodging Trust during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $99,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust during the first quarter valued at approximately $90,000. DRW Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the first quarter worth $106,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of RLJ Lodging Trust in the first quarter worth $2,316,000. Institutional investors own 92.35% of the company’s stock.

About RLJ Lodging Trust

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.