Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Sells 308,904 Shares of The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP decreased its holdings in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) by 95.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,096 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 308,904 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP's holdings in The GEO Group were worth $450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in GEO. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Beaconlight Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 216.5% during the 4th quarter. Beaconlight Capital LLC now owns 242,813 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $6,794,000 after acquiring an additional 166,106 shares during the last quarter. Algert Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,431,000. Apis Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Apis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 411,500 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $11,514,000 after acquiring an additional 38,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ArrowMark Colorado Holdings LLC purchased a new position in The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth $10,772,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GEO traded up $0.97 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $27.37. 1,513,078 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,873,628. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $11.75 and a 1 year high of $36.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $28.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.76. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 94.38, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $604.65 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.81 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 firm posted $0.14 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,469 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,070. This trade represents a 10.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.