The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Receives “Outperform” Rating from Wedbush

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reiterated by analysts at Wedbush in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $17.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock. Wedbush’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 35.89% from the company’s current price.

Separately, StockNews.com cut The GEO Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

NYSE GEO opened at $12.51 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $14.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $13.99. The GEO Group has a fifty-two week low of $7.33 and a fifty-two week high of $18.05. The company has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.02). The GEO Group had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 8.87%. The firm had revenue of $607.19 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.24 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The GEO Group will post 0.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its position 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 valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 3,081 shares in the last quarter. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth $114,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in The GEO Group in the second quarter worth $140,000. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the second quarter worth $153,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.