The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02), Zacks reports. The GEO Group had a return on equity of 8.88% and a net margin of 4.51%. The company had revenue of $607.19 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $606.16 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.24 EPS.

The GEO Group Price Performance

GEO stock traded down $0.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $12.22. The stock had a trading volume of 2,510,679 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,610,974. The stock has a market cap of $1.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $14.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $13.68. The GEO Group has a 1-year low of $6.94 and a 1-year high of $18.05.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GEO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of The GEO Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wedbush reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of The GEO Group in a report on Wednesday.

Insider Activity at The GEO Group

In other The GEO Group news, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of The GEO Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $13.62, for a total value of $72,186.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $326,008.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Shayn P. March sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.50, for a total value of $43,750.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 65,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,143,275. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Scott Michael Kernan sold 5,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.62, for a total transaction of $72,186.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $326,008.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

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.