Investors Buy High Volume of The GEO Group Call Options (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 24,372 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 69% compared to the average daily volume of 14,458 call options.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of GEO stock traded up $1.43 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.43. The company had a trading volume of 4,523,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,978,529. The stock has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 122.18, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $28.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.20. The GEO Group has a 52-week low of $10.47 and a 52-week high of $35.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 363.5% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 702,107 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,022,000 after acquiring an additional 968,601 shares during the period. Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 1,501.6% in the 3rd quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 788,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,136,000 after purchasing an additional 739,550 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in The GEO Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 859,528 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $24,050,000 after purchasing an additional 411,565 shares during the period. Philosophy Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 17.1% during the 3rd quarter. Philosophy Capital Management LLC now owns 1,644,005 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $21,125,000 after buying an additional 240,251 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,790,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on GEO. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Noble Financial lowered shares of The GEO Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Northland Securities upped their price target on shares of The GEO Group from $16.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 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.