ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Stake in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) by 47.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,533 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 12,379 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in The GEO Group were worth $1,078,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in The GEO Group in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in The GEO Group by 160.0% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in The GEO Group by 149.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in The GEO Group by 182.6% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,148 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 2,034 shares during the period. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 6,800.0% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 4,080 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity

In other The GEO Group news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

The GEO Group Price Performance

Shares of GEO traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.25. The company had a trading volume of 312,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,865,289. The company has a market capitalization of $3.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 93.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.75 and a 1-year high of $36.46. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $28.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.40.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. Analysts expect that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

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.