The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Reaches New 12-Month High - What's Next?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $36.46 and last traded at $34.54, with a volume of 1258642 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $35.35.

Analyst Ratings Changes

GEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Northland Securities increased their target price on shares of The GEO Group from $16.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Noble Financial lowered shares of The GEO Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

The GEO Group Stock Down 2.9 %

The business has a fifty day moving average price of $29.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $19.78. The company has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 115.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.24 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $603.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.69 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 9.20%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of The GEO Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 9.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,096 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $143,000 after buying an additional 919 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 18.6% during the fourth 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 during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 37.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 6,023 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 1,632 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 62.1% during the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 6,245 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About The GEO Group

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.