The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Shares Up 3.9% - Time to Buy?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) shares shot up 3.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $31.59 and last traded at $31.52. 1,334,120 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 2,800,898 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.32.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Noble Financial restated an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com cut shares of The GEO Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $46.00 price target on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Jones Trading restated a "buy" rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Monday, March 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.00.

The GEO Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 109.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.78. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $28.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.97.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.08). The GEO Group had a return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 2.00%. The firm had revenue of $607.72 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $607.45 million. On average, analysts anticipate that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other The GEO Group 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,469 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,024,070. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $42,000 after buying an additional 915 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $58,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $67,000. 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.