Traders Buy High Volume of The GEO Group Call Options (NYSE:GEO)

The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO – Get Rating) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors bought 8,004 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 180% compared to the average volume of 2,854 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of The GEO Group in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock.

The GEO Group Price Performance

GEO opened at $8.72 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.72. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.57. The GEO Group has a 52-week low of $5.74 and a 52-week high of $12.44.

The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.21). The company had revenue of $620.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $604.40 million. The GEO Group had a net margin of 6.64% and a return on equity of 14.23%. The GEO Group’s revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The GEO Group will post 0.94 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On The GEO Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 120,683 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,321,000 after purchasing an additional 1,149 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,015 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 8,327 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389 shares during the period. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 25.6% in the 3rd quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 7,175 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462 shares during the period. Finally, Samalin Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in shares of The GEO Group by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Samalin Investment Counsel LLC now owns 41,690 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.58% of the company’s stock.

About The GEO Group

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The GEO Group, Inc engages in the design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community re-entry facilities. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Secure, Electronic Monitoring and Supervision, Reentry, and International Services. The U.S.