The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) Short Interest Update

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant drop in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,740,000 shares, a drop of 22.5% from the April 30th total of 11,280,000 shares. Currently, 6.6% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,120,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jones Trading cut 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. Noble Financial reiterated 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 research note on Monday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded The GEO Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price target (down from $46.00) on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $38.00.

The GEO Group Price Performance

NYSE:GEO traded down $1.22 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $25.58. The company had a trading volume of 1,110,590 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,865,943. The GEO Group has a 52-week low of $11.75 and a 52-week high of $36.46. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $28.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.42. The company has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a PE ratio of 88.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.76. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $604.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that The GEO Group will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at The GEO Group

In other The GEO Group news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 4.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of The GEO Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,837,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 106,488 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,980,000 after purchasing an additional 15,663 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D purchased a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,068,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 87.4% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 100,370 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,809,000 after purchasing an additional 46,820 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The GEO Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $313,000. 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.