The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Shares Gap Up to $13.51

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $13.51, but opened at $14.27. The GEO Group shares last traded at $14.09, with a volume of 970,322 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wedbush decreased their target price on The GEO Group from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th.

The GEO Group Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.84 and its 200 day moving average is $12.81.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last issued 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 GEO Group had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 4.51%. The firm had revenue of $605.67 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $603.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 1.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other The GEO Group news, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of The GEO Group 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 23,936 shares in the company, valued at $326,008.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,450. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of The GEO Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hancock Whitney Corp raised its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 11.4% during the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 31,936 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $451,000 after purchasing an additional 3,271 shares during the last quarter. Center Lake Capital Management LLC increased its stake in The GEO Group by 500.0% in the 1st quarter. Center Lake Capital Management LLC now owns 600,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,472,000 after buying an additional 500,000 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in The GEO Group by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 262,120 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,703,000 after buying an additional 11,905 shares during the last quarter. Beaconlight Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 1st quarter worth $5,754,000. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 7.5% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 111,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 7,749 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is 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.