Franklin Resources Inc. Acquires New Stake in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new stake in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,574 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $604,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in The GEO Group by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 720 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in The GEO Group by 149.5% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 13,314 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $373,000 after buying an additional 1,030 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of The GEO Group by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 8,155 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 40,537 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,289 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

The GEO Group Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of The GEO Group stock opened at $29.03 on Thursday. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.75 and a 1 year high of $36.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 100.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.72.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.08). The GEO Group had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 2.00%. The firm had revenue of $607.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $607.45 million. Equities research analysts predict that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GEO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of The GEO Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Noble Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Jones Trading restated a "buy" rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $35.00 price objective on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The GEO Group currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $41.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,070. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 5.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The GEO Group 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.

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