Traders Buy Large Volume of The GEO Group Call Options (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 11,828 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 52% compared to the average daily volume of 7,786 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

The GEO Group Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE GEO traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $14.79. 2,229,668 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,693,616. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.62. The GEO Group has a 52-week low of $6.94 and a 52-week high of $16.31. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $13.58 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.39.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.11. The GEO Group had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 9.43%. The business had revenue of $608.28 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $597.47 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that The GEO Group will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at The GEO Group

In related news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $37,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 67,830 shares in the company, valued at $1,017,450. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the fourth quarter worth $71,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Privium Fund Management UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the third quarter worth $109,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the fourth quarter worth $114,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.