The GEO Group Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) saw unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 16,588 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 159% compared to the average daily volume of 6,400 call options.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

NYSE GEO opened at $13.26 on Thursday. The GEO Group has a 52-week low of $6.94 and a 52-week high of $16.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a fifty day moving average of $13.87 and a 200-day moving average of $12.76.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.62, for a total transaction of $72,186.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,936 shares in the company, valued at approximately $326,008.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.62, for a total transaction of $72,186.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $326,008.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of The GEO Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in The GEO Group by 399.6% in the first quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,852 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in The GEO Group by 47.8% in the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth $114,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

The GEO Group Company Profile

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.