BNP Paribas Financial Markets Reduces Position in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its stake in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 246,847 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 26,877 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.18% of The GEO Group worth $6,907,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GEO. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT lifted its position in shares of The GEO Group by 375.2% during the 4th 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 buying an additional 1,452,400 shares in the last quarter. BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd bought a new stake in The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,456,000. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP purchased a new position in The GEO Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $20,197,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $17,685,000. Finally, Appian Way Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $14,041,000. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

The GEO Group Price Performance

NYSE:GEO traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.36. The stock had a trading volume of 2,216,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,872,788. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 90.91, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.75 and a 52 week high of $36.46. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $28.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.83.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.04). The GEO Group had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 2.00%. The business had revenue of $604.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of The GEO Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on The GEO Group in a report on Monday, March 24th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective (down previously from $46.00) on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Jones Trading cut their target price on The GEO Group from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Finally, Noble Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at The GEO Group

In other news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the business'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 transaction of $225,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,024,070. The trade was a 10.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.30% 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.