Investors Purchase High Volume of The GEO Group Call Options (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 11,828 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 52% compared to the average volume of 7,786 call options.

The GEO Group Price Performance

NYSE GEO opened at $14.79 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.62. The GEO Group has a 12 month low of $6.94 and a 12 month high of $16.31. The company’s 50 day moving average is $13.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.39. 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 GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $608.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $597.47 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 9.43%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The GEO Group will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Transactions at The GEO Group

In other The GEO Group news, CFO Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the company’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 transaction of $37,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 67,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,017,450. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in The GEO Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in The GEO Group during the fourth quarter valued at $71,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 47.8% in the 4th quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $109,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The GEO Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $114,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.