The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Thursday.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $32.00 target price on The GEO Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Noble Financial upgraded The GEO Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $46.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday.

The GEO Group Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of NYSE GEO traded up $0.87 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $29.04. 3,178,517 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,694,729. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $28.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.50. The GEO Group has a 12 month low of $11.75 and a 12 month high of $36.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 100.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $607.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.45 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 9.20%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The GEO Group will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of The GEO Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GEO. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in The GEO Group by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 720 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in The GEO Group by 149.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 13,314 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $373,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,155 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is 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.