Northern Trust Corp Increases Position in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Free Report) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,522,360 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after purchasing an additional 170,248 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 1.09% of The GEO Group worth $42,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of GEO. Discovery Capital Management LLC CT increased its holdings in The GEO Group by 375.2% in the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 1,452,400 shares during the period. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth about $20,197,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth about $17,685,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in The GEO Group by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 859,528 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $24,050,000 after acquiring an additional 411,565 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,398,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of The GEO Group stock traded up $0.97 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $26.18. 4,574,430 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,887,972. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.75 and a 12 month high of $36.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.70. 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 has a market capitalization of $3.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 90.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $604.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $611.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at The GEO Group

In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,070. The trade was a 10.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.