Geo Group Inc (The) (NYSE:GEO) Stock Now Rated “Buy” by Sell-Side Analysts

Geo Group Inc (The) (NYSE:GEO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $40.00.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. JonesTrading restated a “buy” rating and issued a $40.00 target price on shares of Geo Group in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Geo Group in a report on Monday, August 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Geo Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 25th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Geo Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Northland Securities upped their price target on shares of Geo Group from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th.

Geo Group Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE:GEO opened at $27.28 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $30.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.52. Geo Group has a 1 year low of $12.51 and a 1 year high of $33.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.77.

Geo Group (NYSE:GEO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.08. Geo Group had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 10.31%. The company had revenue of $732.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $721.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.22 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Geo Group will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Geo Group

In other Geo Group news, VP Matthew Albence sold 11,797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.45, for a total value of $371,015.65. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 87,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,082.90. This trade represents a 11.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ronald A. Brack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $224,000.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 71,614 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,291,648. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,797 shares of company stock valued at $911,916. 4.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Geo Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tectonic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Geo Group by 20.2% during the third quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 93,405 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,846,000 after buying an additional 15,669 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Geo Group by 31.6% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,528 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $565,000 after purchasing an additional 4,449 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Geo Group by 141.8% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,895,780 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $118,704,000 after buying an additional 2,284,770 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of Geo Group during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Geo Group by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,098 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Geo Group

The GEO Group, Inc (NYSE: GEO) is a provider of correctional, detention and community-based services. The company develops and operates secure facilities for government agencies, offering services that can include facility management, housing, transportation, food services, medical care, education and rehabilitation programs.

GEO also provides reentry and community-based services designed to support individuals transitioning from incarceration. Through its electronic monitoring and supervision offerings, the company assists government and law-enforcement agencies with alternatives to secure detention, including GPS monitoring, case management and other post-release support services.

Founded in 1984 as Wackenhut Corrections Corporation, the company adopted the name The GEO Group in 2003.