The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Trading Down 3.3% – Should You Sell?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) shares dropped 3.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $28.91 and last traded at $29.93. Approximately 423,157 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,927,727 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.97.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEO has been the subject of several research reports. Noble Financial downgraded The GEO Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Northland Securities increased their price objective on The GEO Group from $16.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Tuesday, December 17th.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a PE ratio of 94.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.73 and a 200-day moving average of $20.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.03). The GEO Group had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The company had revenue of $603.13 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $611.69 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in The GEO Group by 160.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 149.5% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in The GEO Group by 182.6% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,148 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 2,034 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in The GEO Group by 472.1% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,181 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 2,625 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

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.