JonesTrading Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Geo Group (NYSE:GEO) Stock

Geo Group (NYSE:GEO) had its price target increased by research analysts at JonesTrading from $40.00 to $42.75 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock. JonesTrading‘s price target would indicate a potential upside of 53.52% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on GEO. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Geo Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research raised Geo Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Geo Group in a report on Friday, September 4th. Noble Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Geo Group in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Geo Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.38.

Geo Group Trading Up 10.6%

Shares of GEO traded up $2.68 during trading on Thursday, reaching $27.85. 5,210,383 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,368,444. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.49. The stock has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.78. Geo Group has a twelve month low of $12.51 and a twelve month high of $33.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00.

Geo Group (NYSE:GEO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $761.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $770.87 million. Geo Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 10.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Geo Group will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Geo Group news, VP Matthew Albence sold 11,797 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.45, for a total transaction of $371,015.65. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 87,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,082.90. This represents a 11.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Ronald A. Brack sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total transaction of $224,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 71,614 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,291,648. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,797 shares of company stock worth $911,916. 4.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Geo Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of GEO. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Geo Group by 165.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,017 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Geo Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Geo Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Geo Group by 111.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,723 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 910 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Geo Group by 164.2% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,587 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 1,608 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Geo Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Geo Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: GEO reported Q3 adjusted EPS of $0.39, ahead of the $0.35 consensus and up from $0.25 a year earlier. Revenue grew 11.5% year over year to $761.1 million. Article: GEO Group Surpasses Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management forecast Q4 revenue of $777 million–$827 million and adjusted EBITDA of $149 million–$154 million, citing increased ICE activations—supporting expectations that government demand can drive further growth. Article: GEO Forecasts Q4 Revenue and EBITDA
• Positive Sentiment: JonesTrading raised its price target to $42.75 from $40 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling increased analyst optimism. JonesTrading Recommendations
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 revenue of $761.1 million missed the approximately $770.9 million analyst estimate. This shortfall may offset some of the positive impact of the EPS beat. Article: GEO Group Misses Q3 Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: GEO’s reliance on ICE and government contracts leaves it exposed to potential policy shifts; a pre-election report highlighted political uncertainty as a risk for private-prison operators. Article: Political Risks for GEO Group and CoreCivic

Geo Group Company Profile

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.