Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. RLJ scored 69.0, APLE scored 66.0 — RLJ leads.
Compare another set
RLJ
RLJ Lodging Trust
REIT - Hotel & Motel · Financial strength
75.1Fin
$11.60 · $1.8B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
5.2
APLE leads
APLE
Apple Hospitality REIT, Inc.
REIT - Hotel & Motel · Financial strength
80.3Fin
$16.55 · $3.9B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthAPLE-1.3%
Strongest balance sheetAPLE0.51
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Fundamentals, head-to-head
RLJ
APLE
5.3%A-
Yield
5.9%A-
-1.4%D+
Rev
-1.3%D+
1.30C+
D/E
0.51A-
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
The companies
RLJRLJ Lodging Trust
REIT - Hotel & Motel · $11.60 · beta 1.14
Why now
REIT - Hotel & Motel · market cap $1.8b. 10% off the 52-week high of $12.89. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $11.75 (implying +1% upside).
Moat
Higher-variance name — the moat signals on the quantitative card are modest, so the durability case rests on execution (turning current growth into durable earnings power) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than an entrenched competitive position.
Risk
Dividend payout 6000% of earnings on a 5.3% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. Net margin 2.0% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first. ROE 1% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
APLEApple Hospitality REIT, Inc.
REIT - Hotel & Motel · $16.55 · beta 0.93
Why now
REIT - Hotel & Motel · market cap $3.9b. 4% off the 52-week high of $17.28. 9 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $17.17 (implying +4% upside).
Moat
Net margin 12% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent.
Risk
Dividend payout 130% of earnings on a 5.9% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. ROE 6% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Common questions
Is RLJ or APLE the better stock?
RLJ scores higher: RLJ 69.0, APLE 66.0 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
How are RLJ and APLE scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.