The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Stock Price Down 4.9% – Time to Sell?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) shares traded down 4.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $29.29 and last traded at $29.51. 1,377,757 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 54% from the average session volume of 3,013,622 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on GEO shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Noble Financial cut shares of The GEO Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Northland Securities lifted their price objective on shares of The GEO Group from $16.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

The GEO Group Price Performance

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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 103.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $29.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.18.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $603.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.69 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.19 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in The GEO Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,279,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $604,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 859,528 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $24,050,000 after acquiring an additional 411,565 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in The GEO Group by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 273,724 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,517,000 after acquiring an additional 46,905 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC purchased a new stake in The GEO Group during the third quarter worth about $630,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.