The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Shares Gap Down – What’s Next?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $21.50, but opened at $20.10. The GEO Group shares last traded at $22.82, with a volume of 3,184,707 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Thursday, September 19th. StockNews.com downgraded The GEO Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.01 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.09. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.32 billion, a PE ratio of 90.08, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.63.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $607.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.16 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 8.87%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.24 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.91 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Chairman George C. Zoley acquired 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.33 per share, with a total value of $1,233,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chairman now owns 3,900,904 shares in the company, valued at $48,098,146.32. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 5.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GEO. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in The GEO Group by 568.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,326 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 9,632 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 39,703 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 247,745 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,498,000 after purchasing an additional 25,441 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its position in shares of The GEO Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 106,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,508,000 after buying an additional 1,402 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in The GEO Group in the first quarter worth about $214,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.