Geo Group (NYSE:GEO) Stock Price Up 3.7% – Should You Buy?

Geo Group Inc (The) (NYSE:GEO)’s share price was up 3.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $30.70 and last traded at $30.8380. 937,356 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 56% from the average daily volume of 2,139,086 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.74.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Geo Group in a research report on Friday, September 4th. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Geo Group in a report on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Geo Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Geo Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Finally, Noble Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Geo Group in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $40.00.

Geo Group Trading Up 4.0%

The firm has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.78. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $31.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Geo Group (NYSE:GEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $732.07 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $721.43 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 earnings per share. Geo Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Geo Group Inc will post 1.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Geo Group

In related news, insider Ronald A. Brack sold 7,000 shares of Geo Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $224,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 71,614 shares in the company, valued at $2,291,648. This trade represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Matthew Albence sold 11,797 shares of Geo Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 87,602 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,755,082.90. This trade represents a 11.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,797 shares of company stock worth $911,916. Corporate insiders own 4.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Geo Group in the second quarter worth about $644,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Geo Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $322,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in shares of Geo Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $478,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in shares of Geo Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $250,000. Finally, AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Geo Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $428,000. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Geo Group

The GEO Group, Inc (NYSE:GEO) is a provider of correctional, detention, reentry and community-based services. The company designs, develops, finances and manages secure facilities for government agencies, including correctional institutions, immigration detention centers and other custodial facilities.

GEO also provides electronic monitoring and community supervision services, including location monitoring, case management and related technologies. Through its reentry services, the company operates residential centers and programs intended to support individuals transitioning from incarceration to community living, employment and other post-release services.

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