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

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,380,000 shares, a decrease of 8.7% from the September 15th total of 5,890,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,200,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.4 days.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

GEO stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $15.15. 2,648,894 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,441,778. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a PE ratio of 58.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $13.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.02. The GEO Group has a 52 week low of $8.19 and a 52 week high of $18.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $607.19 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $606.16 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 8.87%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The GEO Group will post 0.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Chairman George C. Zoley purchased 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $12.33 per share, for a total transaction of $1,233,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now directly owns 3,900,904 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,098,146.32. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 5.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in The GEO Group by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,525 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of The GEO Group by 9.0% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,096 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $143,000 after buying an additional 919 shares during the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 1.1% in the second quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 100,735 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,447,000 after buying an additional 1,098 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in The GEO Group by 3.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 39,703 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 1,197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its stake in The GEO Group by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 106,826 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,508,000 after acquiring an additional 1,402 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on GEO. StockNews.com cut The GEO Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Thursday, September 19th.

About The GEO Group

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.