BNP Paribas Financial Markets Sells 26,877 Shares of The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets decreased its stake in shares of The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 246,847 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 26,877 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in The GEO Group were worth $6,907,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in The GEO Group by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,170 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of The GEO Group by 149.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in The GEO Group during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management grew its holdings in The GEO Group by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 13,314 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $373,000 after acquiring an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in The GEO Group by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 40,537 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,289 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.10% of the company’s stock.

The GEO Group Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of GEO opened at $26.18 on Tuesday. The GEO Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.75 and a 52-week high of $36.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $28.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.77. The stock has a market cap of $3.69 billion, a PE ratio of 90.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.80.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.14 EPS 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $611.81 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.14 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The GEO Group, Inc. will post 0.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jones Trading lowered their price target 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, May 8th. Noble Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of The GEO Group in a research report on Monday, March 24th. StockNews.com raised shares of The GEO Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group set a $35.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $36.00 target price (down from $46.00) on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Thursday, May 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, The GEO Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $38.00.

Insider Transactions at The GEO Group

In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total value of $225,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 67,469 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,024,070. The trade was a 10.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

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.