The GEO Group Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 29,880 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 86% compared to the average volume of 16,075 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Jones Trading reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Friday. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. StockNews.com downgraded The GEO Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $32.00 target price on The GEO Group in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Noble Financial raised The GEO Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $32.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, The GEO Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.40.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:GEO opened at $28.24 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.67. The company has a market cap of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 97.37, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The GEO Group has a one year low of $11.75 and a one year high of $36.46.

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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $607.45 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 9.20%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The GEO Group will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of The GEO Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT grew its stake in The GEO Group by 375.2% during the 4th quarter. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT now owns 1,839,500 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $51,469,000 after buying an additional 1,452,400 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 202.6% during the fourth quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,124,783 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $59,451,000 after acquiring an additional 1,422,676 shares during the period. Newbrook Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the fourth quarter worth about $35,738,000. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,456,000. Finally, Hodges Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in The GEO Group by 1,501.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hodges Capital Management Inc. now owns 788,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,136,000 after purchasing an additional 739,550 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.