RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ) Declares $0.08 Dividend

RLJ Lodging Trust said on February 27, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share ($0.32 annualized). Shareholders of record as of March 31, 2023 will receive the payment on April 17, 2023. Previously, the company paid $0.05 per share.

At the current share price of $11.34 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 2.82%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 3.40%, the lowest has been 0.23%, and the highest has been 20.50%. The standard deviation of yields is 3.51 (n=236).

The current dividend yield is 0.16 standard deviations below the historical average.

Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 1.22. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.

The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is -0.85%.

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Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 34.92% Upside

As of March 1, 2023, the average one-year price target for RLJ Lodging Trust is $15.30. The forecasts range from a low of $12.12 to a high of $18.90. The average price target represents an increase of 34.92% from its latest reported closing price of $11.34.

The projected annual revenue for RLJ Lodging Trust is $1,381MM, an increase of 15.69%. The projected annual EPS is $0.40, an increase of 284.35%.

What is the Fund Sentiment?

There are 473 funds or institutions reporting positions in RLJ Lodging Trust. This is a decrease of 1 owner(s) or 0.21% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to RLJ is 0.21%, a decrease of 7.08%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 1.23% to 172,143K shares. The put/call ratio of RLJ is 0.00, indicating a bullish outlook.

What are large shareholders doing?

Goldman Sachs Group holds 7,990K shares representing 5.00% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 8,362K shares, representing a decrease of 4.66%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in RLJ by 3.19% over the last quarter.

VGSIX - Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund Investor Shares holds 7,565K shares representing 4.74% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 7,641K shares, representing a decrease of 1.01%. The firm increased its portfolio allocation in RLJ by 16.16% over the last quarter.

VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 4,809K shares representing 3.01% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 4,929K shares, representing a decrease of 2.50%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in RLJ by 6.69% over the last quarter.

Jpmorgan Chase & holds 4,712K shares representing 2.95% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.

H holds 4,604K shares representing 2.88% ownership of the company. No change in the last quarter.

RLJ Lodging Trust Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)

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 consists of 101 hotels with approximately 22,400 rooms, located in 23 states and the District of Columbia and an ownership interest in one unconsolidated hotel with 171 rooms.

This story originally appeared on Fintel.