Head to Head Comparison: Securitas AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:SCTBF) and The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO)

Securitas AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:SCTBF) and The GEO Group (NYSE:GEO) are both industrials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, profitability and dividends.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Securitas AB (publ) and The GEO Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Securitas AB (publ)	0	0	0	0	N/A
The GEO Group	0	0	2	0	3.00

The GEO Group has a consensus target price of $18.00, indicating a potential upside of 18.38%. Given The GEO Group’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe The GEO Group is more favorable than Securitas AB (publ).

Insider and Institutional Ownership

35.4% of Securitas AB (publ) shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.1% of The GEO Group shares are held by institutional investors. 5.0% of The GEO Group shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Securitas AB (publ) and The GEO Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Securitas AB (publ)	N/A	N/A	N/A
The GEO Group	4.72%	9.43%	3.18%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Securitas AB (publ) and The GEO Group’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Securitas AB (publ)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
The GEO Group	$2.41 billion	0.80	$107.32 million	$0.76	20.01

The GEO Group has higher revenue and earnings than Securitas AB (publ).

Summary

The GEO Group beats Securitas AB (publ) on 8 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Securitas AB (publ)

Securitas AB (publ) provides security services in North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Securitas North America, Securitas Europe, and Securitas Ibero-America. It offers on-site guarding, mobile patrol, canine security, reception, loss prevention, screening, and track and trace services, as well as operates Securitas operation centers. The company also provides remote video solutions; aviation security services, such as physical security, airline security, hospitality, and consultancy related services; and electronic security services. In addition, it offers fire and safety; enterprise risk management services, such as risk and security management, executive protection, corporate investigations, and due diligence services; and intelligent security and home alarm services. The company was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

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. The company was founded in 1984 and is based in Boca Raton, Florida.