The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Shares Down 4.9% - Should You Sell?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 4.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $29.29 and last traded at $29.51. 1,377,757 shares changed hands during 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

GEO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Noble Financial cut shares of The GEO Group from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Northland Securities boosted their target price 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. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th.

The GEO Group Stock Down 1.6 %

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 106.89, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.87.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by ($0.03). The company 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.19 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GEO. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 472.1% during the 3rd quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,181 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 2,625 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in The GEO Group during the third quarter worth about $67,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in The GEO Group by 38.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,874 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 1,910 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

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.