The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) Short Interest Update

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,580,000 shares, an increase of 17.0% from the May 31st total of 9,040,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,400,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.4 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wedbush dropped their target price on 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 Up 6.3 %

GEO traded up $0.85 on Friday, hitting $14.36. 5,869,624 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,182,681. The GEO Group has a 12 month low of $6.94 and a 12 month high of $16.31. The company has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 20.23, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.64. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $13.84 and its 200-day moving average is $12.83.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction on Friday, April 5th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,450. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other The GEO Group news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $37,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,450. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of The GEO Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,012,341 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,624,000 after purchasing an additional 63,101 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of The GEO Group by 1,116.5% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,846,814 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $52,491,000 after purchasing an additional 4,448,385 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,161,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $662,000. Finally, Center Lake Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,083,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

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.