The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Sell"

StockNews.com downgraded shares of The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. UBS Group set a $32.00 price objective on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Noble Financial upgraded The GEO Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $32.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. 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 company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $40.40.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of GEO stock traded up $0.89 on Thursday, hitting $29.12. 2,043,780 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,685,485. The firm's 50 day moving average is $28.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.86. The GEO Group has a one year low of $11.75 and a one year high of $36.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a PE ratio of 100.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

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The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 2.00%. The business had revenue of $607.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $607.45 million. Sell-side analysts expect that The GEO Group will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth $17,685,000. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 45.7% in the 4th quarter. Prescott Group Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 350,914 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $9,819,000 after acquiring an additional 110,000 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $219,000. Pacific Point Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $560,000. Finally, Twinbeech Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 398.0% during the fourth quarter. Twinbeech Capital LP now owns 239,627 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,705,000 after purchasing an additional 191,510 shares in the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.