The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Trading 4.7% Higher

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)’s share price traded up 4.7% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $13.35 and last traded at $13.31. 754,464 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 2,465,165 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.71.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GEO has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com cut shares of The GEO Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $13.42 and its 200 day moving average is $14.03.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02). The GEO Group had a return on equity of 8.87% and a net margin of 1.92%. The firm had revenue of $607.19 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $606.16 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.24 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at The GEO Group

In related news, Chairman George C. Zoley purchased 100,000 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,222,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 3,800,904 shares in the company, valued at $46,447,046.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Chairman George C. Zoley purchased 100,000 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.22 per share, for a total transaction of $1,222,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 3,800,904 shares in the company, valued at $46,447,046.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.50, for a total transaction of $43,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,143,275. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of The GEO Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 399.6% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,852 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in The GEO Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $140,000. MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in The GEO Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $153,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 568.6% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,326 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 9,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 12,576 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $178,000 after buying an additional 2,010 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by 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.