The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Shares Up 4.4% – Still a Buy?

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)’s share price shot up 4.4% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $26.80 and last traded at $26.60. 177,422 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 2,665,889 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GEO. Noble Financial downgraded The GEO Group from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Wedbush raised their target price on shares of The GEO Group from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com lowered shares of The GEO Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Northland Securities increased their price objective on The GEO Group from $16.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th.

The GEO Group Stock Performance

The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $15.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.46. The company has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 87.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the first quarter worth $510,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 1,803.4% in the 2nd quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 312,508 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $4,488,000 after acquiring an additional 296,090 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $604,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 352.4% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 100,425 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,442,000 after acquiring an additional 78,225 shares during the period. Finally, Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of The GEO Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,104,000. 76.10% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.