CoreCivic’s (CXW) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Jones Trading

Jones Trading reissued their buy rating on shares of CoreCivic (NYSE:CXW) in a research note published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $30.00 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Separately, Wall Street Zen cut CoreCivic from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CoreCivic has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

CoreCivic Stock Up 5.9%

Shares of CXW opened at $18.92 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. CoreCivic has a 12 month low of $15.95 and a 12 month high of $23.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $19.17 and its 200-day moving average is $19.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.51 and a beta of 0.71.

CoreCivic (NYSE:CXW) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.09. CoreCivic had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 5.27%.The business had revenue of $603.95 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $585.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that CoreCivic will post 1.5 EPS for the current year.

CoreCivic announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Monday, November 10th that permits the company to buyback $200.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 10.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of CoreCivic

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in CoreCivic by 33.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,829 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its stake in shares of CoreCivic by 0.6% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 121,147 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after buying an additional 709 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of CoreCivic by 80.1% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,186 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 972 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in CoreCivic by 10.4% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 10,595 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 1,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its holdings in CoreCivic by 4.8% during the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 24,679 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $520,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.13% of the company’s stock.

CoreCivic News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CoreCivic this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results and management commentary showed a beat on revenue and EPS and a stronger outlook, supporting near-term earnings visibility. CoreCivic (CXW) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 guidance materially (EPS guidance ~2.54–2.64 vs. consensus ~1.87), signaling stronger free cash flow and earnings power for the year ahead. CoreCivic Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company is guiding to higher 2026 scale (targeting ~$2.5B revenue and up to $445M EBITDA) driven by expanded federal contracts and facility activations — a clear growth thesis if contracts convert. CoreCivic targets $2.5B revenue and up to $445M EBITDA in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst (Jones Trading) reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $30 price target, adding third‑party support for upside vs. the current trading level. Benzinga coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press/coverage emphasizes federal contract wins and facility activations but notes ongoing market skepticism—illustrates gap between operational progress and market trust. CXW Q4 Deep Dive
• Negative Sentiment: Political and policy risk: reporting highlights a “deportation backlash” that raises uncertainty for DHS contractors — could pressure contract renewals or new awards. Deportation backlash adds fresh uncertainty
• Negative Sentiment: Investor/ESG pressure: coverage highlights an example of a fund walking away despite a strong quarter, underscoring reputational and ESG-driven selling risk. $10 Million Exit article
• Negative Sentiment: Opinion pieces continue to question owning for‑profit prisons, a persistent reputational headwind that can affect long-term investor demand and governance scrutiny. For-profit prisons op-ed

About CoreCivic

CoreCivic, Inc (NYSE: CXW) is a real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management and operation of private correctional and detention facilities in the United States. The company enters into contracts with federal, state and local government agencies to house inmates and detainees in facilities that it owns or operates on a concession basis. In addition to traditional prison operations, CoreCivic provides specialized services such as community-based reentry programs, electronic monitoring and rehabilitation initiatives aimed at reducing recidivism.

CoreCivic’s portfolio encompasses a mix of adult correctional facilities, immigration detention centers, residential reentry centers and other community-based programs.