Two Sigma Advisers LP Increases Holdings in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) by 188.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 420,749 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 274,784 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.30% of The GEO Group worth $11,773,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in GEO. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in The GEO Group in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in The GEO Group by 160.0% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in The GEO Group by 149.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in The GEO Group by 182.6% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,148 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 2,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in The GEO Group by 6,800.0% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 4,140 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 4,080 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,024,070. This trade represents a 10.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GEO. Noble Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Jones Trading decreased their price target on The GEO Group from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 target price (down previously from $46.00) on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised The GEO Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment 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 stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.00.

The GEO Group Stock Down 1.4%

NYSE GEO traded down $0.38 on Wednesday, reaching $27.12. The company had a trading volume of 399,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,865,712. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80. The company's fifty day moving average is $28.56 and its 200 day moving average is $28.40. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.75 and a 52-week high of $36.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company 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 previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.