The GEO Group Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) saw some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 11,828 call options on the company. This is an increase of 52% compared to the average volume of 7,786 call options.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

Shares of The GEO Group stock opened at $14.88 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.63 and a 200-day moving average of $11.43. The GEO Group has a 1-year low of $6.94 and a 1-year high of $16.31. The company has a market cap of $1.89 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.62.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.11. The GEO Group had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 4.72%. The firm had revenue of $608.28 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $597.47 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The GEO Group will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Wedbush boosted their price objective on shares of The GEO Group from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling at The GEO Group

In related news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.00, for a total value of $37,500.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,450. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The GEO Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Saxon Interests Inc. acquired a new stake in The GEO Group during the 1st quarter worth $219,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in The GEO Group by 568.6% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,326 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $160,000 after acquiring an additional 9,632 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 234.2% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 23,735 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 16,633 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,161,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in The GEO Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,575,361 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $147,021,000 after buying an additional 58,184 shares during the last quarter. 76.10% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.