Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 24,159 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 56% compared to the average daily volume of 15,504 call options.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of GEO traded down $1.08 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $25.22. 4,271,499 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,881,201. The GEO Group has a 1-year low of $11.75 and a 1-year high of $36.46. The stock has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's fifty day moving average is $28.31 and its 200 day moving average is $27.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 9.20% and a net margin of 2.00%. The company had revenue of $604.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $611.81 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.14 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that The GEO Group will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 67,469 shares in the company, valued at $2,024,070. The trade was a 10.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GEO. CenterBook Partners LP acquired a new position in The GEO Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,875,000. Highland Peak Capital LLC purchased a new stake in The GEO Group during the first quarter valued at about $10,650,000. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft bought a new position in shares of The GEO Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $604,000. Federated Hermes Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the first quarter worth $647,000. Finally, AGP Franklin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The GEO Group during the 1st quarter valued at $211,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on GEO shares. Noble Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Jones Trading cut their price objective on shares of The GEO Group from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of The GEO Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $36.00 price objective (down from $46.00) on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, The GEO Group currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $38.00.

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.