The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Stock Price Down 5.9% - Should You Sell?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report)'s stock price was down 5.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $24.85 and last traded at $24.95. Approximately 743,570 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average daily volume of 2,871,856 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GEO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group set a $35.00 price objective on The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $36.00 price target (down previously from $46.00) on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Thursday, May 8th. Noble Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of The GEO Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Jones Trading cut their target price on shares of The GEO Group from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The GEO Group presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.00.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $28.00 and a 200-day moving average of $28.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.04). The GEO Group had a net margin of 2.00% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The business had revenue of $604.65 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.81 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the firm'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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in The GEO Group by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new stake in The GEO Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $39,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in The GEO Group by 149.5% during the 4th 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 period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in The GEO Group in the 1st quarter worth about $58,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by 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.