The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Stock Price Up 8.7% – Should You Buy?

Shares of The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) were up 8.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $25.67 and last traded at $25.66. Approximately 2,495,887 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 9% from the average daily volume of 2,728,382 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Noble Financial upgraded shares of The GEO Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $32.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th.

The GEO Group Trading Up 10.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.98 and a 200-day moving average of $22.99. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, research analysts predict that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in The GEO Group by 149.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in shares of The GEO Group by 9.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,096 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $143,000 after purchasing an additional 919 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of The GEO Group by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 13,314 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares in 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.