The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) Shares Sold by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) by 27.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,187,431 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 458,982 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.85% of The GEO Group worth $33,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of GEO. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its position in shares of The GEO Group by 17.2% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 106,488 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 15,663 shares during the period. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT boosted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 375.2% in the fourth quarter. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT now owns 1,839,500 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $51,469,000 after acquiring an additional 1,452,400 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of The GEO Group by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,051,384 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $85,398,000 after acquiring an additional 35,281 shares during the last quarter. Diametric Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at $941,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at $604,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company's stock.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

GEO traded up $0.98 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $29.64. The company's stock had a trading volume of 531,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,964,371. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $27.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.25. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.75 and a 52-week high of $36.46. The company has a market capitalization of $4.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 102.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.78.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 GEO Group had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The business had revenue of $607.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $607.45 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,070. This trade represents a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

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.