The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Shares Gap Down to $14.43

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report)'s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $14.43, but opened at $13.66. The GEO Group shares last traded at $13.35, with a volume of 874,695 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of The GEO Group from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, April 8th.

The GEO Group Trading Down 5.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a PE ratio of 17.59, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $13.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $608.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $597.47 million. The GEO Group had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 4.72%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.58 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction on Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $37,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 67,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,450. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its position in shares of The GEO Group by 399.6% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 3,852 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 3,081 shares during the period. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in The GEO Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $71,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in The GEO Group by 47.8% during the fourth quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $76,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Privium Fund Management UK Ltd purchased a new stake in The GEO Group in the third quarter worth about $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.10% of the company's stock.

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.