Geo Group Inc (The) (NYSE:GEO) Stock Has Average Target Price of $40.00

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly bullish on GEO Group: six analysts give the stock an average “Buy” rating, with a 12-month average price target of $40.00 versus a recent price of $30.18.
• GEO Group reported quarterly EPS of $0.37, exceeding the $0.29 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 15.1% year over year to $732.07 million.
• Insiders have recently sold shares: company insiders sold 28,797 shares worth approximately $911,916 over the past 90 days, while institutional investors own 76.10% of the stock.

Geo Group Inc (The) (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Buy" from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $40.00.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on GEO shares. Noble Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Geo Group in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Northland Securities increased their price target on shares of Geo Group from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. JonesTrading raised their price objective on shares of Geo Group from $33.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Geo Group in a report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Geo Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Geo Group news, insider Ronald A. Brack sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.00, for a total value of $224,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 71,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,291,648. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Matthew Albence sold 11,797 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.45, for a total value of $371,015.65. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 87,602 shares in the company, valued at $2,755,082.90. The trade was a 11.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,797 shares of company stock worth $911,916. Insiders own 4.98% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Geo Group

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Geo Group by 111.9% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,723 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Geo Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Geo Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its position in shares of Geo Group by 22.7% in the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 3,866 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Geo Group by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 12,528 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $202,000 after buying an additional 1,021 shares during the period. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Geo Group Stock Down 3.3%

GEO opened at $30.18 on Tuesday. Geo Group has a 1-year low of $12.51 and a 1-year high of $33.15. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $31.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.97 billion, a PE ratio of 14.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.78.

Geo Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.29 by $0.08. Geo Group had a return on equity of 10.42% and a net margin of 10.31%.The business had revenue of $732.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $721.43 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Geo Group will post 1.31 earnings per share for the current year.

About Geo Group

The GEO Group, Inc NYSE: GEO is a provider of correctional, detention, reentry and community-based services. The company designs, develops, finances and manages secure facilities for government agencies, including correctional institutions, immigration detention centers and other custodial facilities.

GEO also provides electronic monitoring and community supervision services, including location monitoring, case management and related technologies. Through its reentry services, the company operates residential centers and programs intended to support individuals transitioning from incarceration to community living, employment and other post-release services.

Founded in 1984 as Wackenhut Corrections Corporation, the company adopted the name The GEO Group in 2003.

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