The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report released on Tuesday morning.

Separately, Wedbush cut their price objective 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 Performance

GEO stock opened at $13.24 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $13.61. The GEO Group has a fifty-two week low of $6.94 and a fifty-two week high of $18.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $605.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The GEO Group will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.62, for a total value of $72,186.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $326,008.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.50, for a total value of $43,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,330 shares in the company, valued at $1,143,275. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 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 corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of GEO. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its stake in The GEO Group by 399.6% during 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 acquiring an additional 3,081 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC raised its stake in The GEO Group by 47.8% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the second quarter valued at $140,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.