RLJ Lodging Trust's preferred stock offers a 7.5% yield, down from 8.1%, but remains attractive thanks to the safety of its dividend and potential Fed rate cuts. The REIT owns 96 premium-branded hotels, has recovered from the pandemic, and maintains a healthy balance sheet, ensuring the preferred dividend's safety. The preferred dividend is well-covered with a 9.3 coverage ratio, and the REIT is unlikely to eliminate its common dividend, even in a recession.
RLJ Lodging is a hotel REIT managing 96 premium-branded urban-centric hotels, with the largest markets being Los Angeles/Anaheim and Washington, DC. The REIT has substantially underperformed the Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF so far in 2024, delivering a 19% loss. The Q2 2024 results were mixed as robust RevPAR growth was offset by elevated expense growth, ultimately resulting in lower Adjusted FFO.
The headline numbers for RLJ Lodging (RLJ) give insight into how the company performed in the quarter ended June 2024, but it may be worthwhile to compare some of its key metrics to Wall Street estimates and the year-ago actuals.
RLJ Lodging (RLJ) came out with quarterly funds from operations (FFO) of $0.51 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.48 per share. This compares to FFO of $0.56 per share a year ago.
We discuss three essential criteria for steady passive income from investments. My investment strategy seeks regular and recurring income from lower-risk preferred securities. With fixed income, I am using the interest rate uncertainties to my advantage.
RLJ Lodging Trust's preferred shares are attractive as they cannot be easily called by the issuer. The preferred dividends are well-covered, with a payout ratio of just over 10%. The balance sheet of RLJ Lodging Trust is strong, with a low LTV ratio and sufficient common equity.