The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Trading Up 5.6%

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) shares traded up 5.6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $15.19 and last traded at $15.17. 2,133,094 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 2,570,594 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.36.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wedbush lowered their price target on shares of The GEO Group from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 8th.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.67. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.18 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $605.67 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $603.84 million. The GEO Group had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 4.51%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $37,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,450. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.62, for a total value of $72,186.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $326,008.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total transaction of $37,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,017,450. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GEO. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 31,936 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $451,000 after acquiring an additional 3,271 shares during the period. Center Lake Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 500.0% in the first quarter. Center Lake Capital Management LLC now owns 600,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,472,000 after purchasing an additional 500,000 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in The GEO Group by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 262,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,703,000 after buying an additional 11,905 shares during the period. Beaconlight Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The GEO Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,754,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co lifted its holdings in The GEO Group by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 111,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,574,000 after buying an additional 7,749 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About The GEO Group

The GEO Group, Inc (NYSE: GEO) engages in ownership, leasing, and management of secure facilities, processing centers, and community-based reentry facilities in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The company also provides secure facility management services, including the provision of security, administrative, rehabilitation, education, and food services; reentry services, such as temporary housing, programming, employment assistance, and other services; electronic monitoring and supervision services; and transportation services; as well as designs, constructs, and finances new facilities through projects.