LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / February 14, 2018 / Active-Investors has a free review on GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) following the Company's announcement that it will begin trading ex-dividend on February 15, 2018. In order to capture the dividend payout, investors must purchase the stock a day prior to the ex-dividend date that is by latest at the end of the trading session on February 14, 2018. Active-Investors has initiated due-diligence on this dividend stock. Register with us for more free research including the one on GEO:

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Dividend Declared

On February 05, 2018, the GEO announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.47 per share. The quarterly cash dividend will be paid on February 27, 2018, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on February 16, 2018.

GEO 's indicated dividend represents a yield of 9.31%, which is more than four times compared to the average dividend yield of 1.98% for the services sector. The Company has raised dividend for five consecutive years.

Dividend Insights

GEO has a dividend payout ratio of 96.9%, which indicates that the Company distributes approximately $0.97 for every $1.00 earned. The dividend payout ratio reflects how much amount a company is returning to shareholders versus how much money it is keeping on hand to reinvest in growth, to pay off debt, and/or to add to its cash reserves.

According to analysts' estimates, GEO is forecasted to report earnings of $1.51 per share for the next year compared to the Company's annualized dividend of $1.88 per share. One of the primary reasons for the difference between earnings and annualized dividend is that GEO is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) which is structured by law to distribute at least 90% of earnings. Moreover, since REITs generate income from owning portfolios of investment real estate, they are likely to have higher depreciation charges.

Since depreciation is a non-cash charge, it does not directly impact the ability of dividend the companies can distribute. For this reason, Fund from Operations (FFO) is calculated by adding depreciation and amortization to earnings and subtracting any gains on sales which then provides a better picture of any company's profitability and capacity to pay and to sustain dividends. For instance, for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, the Company reported net income attributable to GEO of $38.5 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, compared to $43.7 million, or $0.39 per diluted share, for Q3 2016.

GEO reported normalized FFO of $58.8 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, in Q3 2017 compared to $59.1 million, or $0.53 per diluted share, in Q3 2016. The Company reported adjusted FFFO of $77.0 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, in Q3 2017 compared to $71.5 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, in the year ago same period. GEO's FFO number indicates that the Company should be able to comfortably cover its dividend payout.

Upcoming Earnings

On February 01, 2018, GEO announced that it will release its fourth quarter 2017 financial results on February 14, 2018, before the market opens. The Company has scheduled a conference call and simultaneous webcast for 11:00 AM (Eastern Time) on February 14, 2018. Hosting the call for GEO will be George C. Zoley, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder; Brian R. Evans, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; David Donahue, President of GEO Corrections & Detention; and Ann Schlarb, President of GEO Care.

About GEO Group, Inc.

GEO is the first fully integrated equity REIT specializing in the design, financing, development, and operation of correctional, detention, and community reentry facilities around the globe. GEO is the world's leading provider of diversified correctional, detention, community reentry, and electronic monitoring services to government agencies worldwide with operations in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO's worldwide operations include the ownership and/or management of 141 facilities totaling approximately 96,000 beds, including projects under development, with a growing workforce of approximately 23,000 professionals.

Stock Performance Snapshot

February 13, 2018 - At Tuesday's closing bell, GEO Group's stock advanced 1.60%, ending the trading session at $20.26.

Volume traded for the day: 1.04 million shares, which was above the 3-month average volume of 832.62 thousand shares.

After yesterday's close, GEO Group's market cap was at $2.49 billion.

Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio was at 14.89.

The stock has a dividend yield of 9.28%.

The stock is part of the Financial sector, categorized under the REIT - Healthcare Facilities industry. This sector was up 0.2% at the end of the session.

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