BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 20, 2025– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO” or the “Company”) announced today that the Company has entered into a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) for the immediate activation of a federal immigration processing center at the GEO-owned, 1,800-bed North Lake Facility (the “Facility”) in Baldwin, Michigan.
Within a few months, GEO and ICE expect to finalize a long-term contract. GEO expects to provide support services for ICE at the Facility under a multi-year contract that would be expected to generate in excess of $70 million in annualized revenues in the first full year of operations, with margins consistent with GEO’s company-owned Secure Services facilities. GEO’s support services are expected to include the exclusive use of the Facility by ICE, along with security, maintenance, and food services, as well as access to recreational amenities, medical care, and legal counsel.
George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “We expect that our company-owned North Lake Facility in Michigan will play an important role in helping meet the need for increased federal immigration processing center bedspace. We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with ICE, and we stand ready to continue to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities.”
About The GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 99 facilities totaling approximately 79,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Use of forward-looking statements
This news release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those referenced above. GEO disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 10, 2025– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO” or the “Company”) announced today that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) has entered into a contract modification of the current intergovernmental service agreement (“IGSA”) for the GEO-owned, 1,328-bed Karnes ICE Processing Center (the “Center) in Karnes City, Texas to transition the Center from housing adult males only to housing mixed populations. GEO provides support services for ICE at the Center under an IGSA between Karnes County and ICE, that is effective through August 2029. GEO’s support services include the exclusive use of the Center by ICE, along with security, maintenance, and food services, as well as access to recreational amenities, medical care, and legal counsel.
Under the revised IGSA, GEO is expected to generate approximately $79 million in annualized revenues in the first full year of operations, which is expected to represent incremental annualized revenues of approximately $23 million, with margins consistent with GEO’s company-owned Secure Services facilities.
George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “Our company-owned Karnes ICE Processing Center has played an important role in helping ICE meeting the diverse policy priorities of four Presidential Administrations. We are proud of our 40-year public-private partnership with the agency, and we stand ready to continue to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities.”
About The GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 99 facilities totaling approximately 79,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Use of forward-looking statements
This news release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those referenced above. GEO disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 103 facilities totaling approximately 83,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
Upgrading to Outperform. We are upgrading GEO shares to Outperform with a $32 near-term price target. We believe there is substantial opportunity just in filling existing beds under current contracts, with the opening of currently idle facilities, new facilities, and expansion of the ISAP program providing additional upside.
Opportunity. GEO has an additional 17,000 beds to provide for ICE detention requirements, which would increase GEO’s overall bed capacity for ICE to about 32,000 beds. The incremental 17,000 beds includes approximately 9,400 beds in current idle facilities that will be reconfigured for detention use and approximately 7,700 incremental beds available at existing GEO serviced ICE and U.S. Marshal’s facilities under contract. Management estimates the utilization of these additional 17,000 beds could generate between $500 million and $600 million in incremental annualized revenues, with margins consistent with secure services owned facilities which average 25% to 30%.
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This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).
*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 103 facilities totaling approximately 83,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
4Q Results. Revenues for the fourth quarter slightly declined to $607.7 million from $608.3 million in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA totaled $108.0 million, down from $129.0 million last year. Net income was $15.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, down from $25.2 million, or $0.17 per share, last year. Adjusted EPS was $0.13 per diluted share versus $0.29 per share the prior year. Earnings and adjusted EBITDA were below expectations, primarily due to higher general and administrative expenses incurred during the fourth quarter of 2024.
New ICE Contract. Also announced was the award of a 15-year, fixed-price contract by ICE to provide support services for the establishment of a federal immigration processing center at the company-owned, 1,000 bed Delaney Hall facility in Newark, NJ. The contract is expected to generate in excess of $60 million in its first full year of operations, with margins consistent with GEO’s Secure Services facilities. The idle facility is expected to be activated in 2Q 2025, with revenues and earnings from the new contract normalizing during the second half of 2025.
Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.
This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).
*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 27, 2025– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO” or the “Company”) announced today that it has been awarded a 15-year, fixed-price contract by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) to provide support services for the establishment of a federal immigration processing center at the company-owned, 1,000-bed Delaney Hall Facility (the “Facility”) in Newark, New Jersey. GEO’s support services include the exclusive use of the Facility by ICE, along with security, maintenance, and food services, as well as access to recreational amenities, medical care, and legal counsel.
The new support services contract is expected to generate in excess of $60 million in annualized revenues for GEO in the first full year of operations, with margins consistent with GEO’s company-owned Secure Services facilities. GEO estimates the 15-year value of the contract with normal cost of living adjustments to be approximately $1 billion. GEO expects to reactivate the Facility in the second quarter of 2025 with revenues and earnings from the new contract normalizing during the second half of 2025.
George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “Our company-owned Delaney Hall Facility will play an important role in providing needed detention bedspace and support services for ICE in the Northeast. We are continuing to prepare for what we believe is an unprecedented opportunity to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities. We are taking several important steps to meet this opportunity, including making a previously announced $70 million investment in capital expenditures to strengthen our capabilities to deliver expanded detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring and related services to ICE and the federal government.”
About The GEO Group The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 99 facilities totaling approximately 79,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Use of forward-looking statements This news release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those referenced above. GEO disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Feb. 27, 2025– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO”), a leading provider of contracted support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and reentry centers, as well as enhanced in-custody rehabilitation, post-release support, and electronic monitoring programs, reported today its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2024.
Fourth Quarter 2024 Highlights
Total revenues of $607.7 million
Net Income of $15.5 million
Net Income Attributable to GEO of $0.11 per diluted share
Adjusted Net Income of $0.13 per diluted share
Adjusted EBITDA of $108.0 million
For the fourth quarter 2024, we reported net income attributable to GEO of $15.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to GEO of $25.2 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter 2023.
Fourth quarter 2024 results reflect costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $1.3 million, pre-tax, $0.2 million in transaction fees, pre-tax, and $2.1 million in employee restructuring expenses, pre-tax. Excluding these unusual items, we reported adjusted net income for the fourth quarter 2024 of $18.2 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to $36.6 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter 2023.
We reported total revenues for the fourth quarter 2024 of $607.7 million compared to $608.3 million for the fourth quarter 2023. We reported fourth quarter 2024 Adjusted EBITDA of $108.0 million, compared to $129.0 million for the fourth quarter 2023.
Our fourth quarter of 2024 results reflect higher general and administrative expenses, which were partly the result of the previously announced reorganization of our management team and additional professional fees we incurred in anticipation of future growth projects and related operational activity during 2025.
Our revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024 increased sequentially from the third quarter of 2024 and were in line with our previous guidance; however, our earnings and Adjusted EBITDA were below our previous expectations, primarily due to the higher general and administrative expenses incurred during the fourth quarter of 2024.
George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “During the fourth quarter of 2024, we completed the previously announced reorganization of our senior management team and incurred additional professional fees in anticipation of what we expect to be unprecedented future growth opportunities and significant operational activity during 2025. In 2024, we also incurred $9 million of our previously announced $70 million investment to strengthen our capabilities to deliver expanded detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring services to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and the federal government.
In addition to taking these important steps, we remain focused on reducing our net debt, deleveraging our balance sheet, and exploring options to return capital to shareholders in the future. In 2025, we expect to further reduce our total net debt by approximately $150 million to $175 million, bringing our total net debt to approximately $1.55 billion.”
Full Year 2024 Highlights
Total revenues of $2.42 billion
Net Income of $31.9 million
Net Income Attributable to GEO of $0.22 per diluted share, reflects costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $86.6 million, pre-tax
Adjusted Net Income of $0.75 per diluted share
Adjusted EBITDA of $463.5 million
For the full year 2024, we reported net income attributable to GEO of $32.0 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to GEO of $107.3 million, or $0.72 per diluted share, for the full year 2023. Results for the full year 2024 reflect costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $86.6 million, pre-tax.
Excluding the costs associated with the extinguishment of debt and other unusual items, we reported adjusted net income for the full year 2024 of $101.0 million, or $0.75 per diluted share, compared to $117.5 million, or $0.95 per diluted share, for the full year 2023.
We reported total revenues for the full year 2024 of $2.42 billion compared to $2.41 billion for the full year 2023. We reported Adjusted EBITDA for the full year 2024 of $463.5 million, compared to $507.2 million for the full year 2023.
Financial Guidance
Today, we issued our initial financial guidance for 2025. Consistent with our long-standing practice, our initial guidance does not include the impact of any new contract awards that have not been previously announced.
For the full year 2025, we expect Net Income Attributable to GEO to be in a range of 74 cents to 88 cents per diluted share, on revenues of approximately $2.5 billion and based on an effective tax rate of approximately 28 percent, inclusive of known discrete items. We expect our full year 2025 Adjusted EBITDA to be between $460 million and $485 million.
While our initial financial guidance for 2025 does not include an assumption for any new contract awards that have not been previously announced, we anticipate several additional opportunities could materialize during the year, which would provide significant upside to our current forecast. As we progress through the year and the likelihood and timing of these opportunities become clearer, we will adjust our 2025 financial guidance accordingly.
We expect total Capital Expenditures for the full year 2025 to be between $125 million and $145 million, including the impact of the $70 million investment we announced in December of 2024 to strengthen our capabilities to deliver expanded detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring services to ICE and the federal government. This incremental $70 million investment is comprised of $47 million to renovate existing Secure Services facilities, $9 million of which was already spent in 2024; $16 million to ramp up the production of additional GPS tracking devices; and $7 million to expand our secure transportation assets.
Recent Developments
We announced today that we have been awarded a 15-year, fixed-price contract by ICE to provide support services for the establishment of a federal immigration processing center at the company-owned, 1,000-bed Delaney Hall Facility (the “Facility”) in Newark, New Jersey. GEO’s support services include the exclusive use of the Facility by ICE, along with security, maintenance, and food services, as well as access to recreational amenities, medical care, and legal counsel.
The new support services contract is expected to generate in excess of $60 million in annualized revenues for GEO in the first full year of operations, with margins consistent with GEO’s company-owned Secure Services facilities. GEO estimates the 15-year value of the contract with normal cost of living adjustments to be approximately $1 billion. GEO expects to reactivate the Facility in the second quarter of 2025 with revenues and earnings from the new contract normalizing during the second half of 2025.
Balance Sheet
At the end of the fourth quarter 2024, our net debt totaled approximately $1.7 billion, and our net leverage was approximately 3.7 times Adjusted EBITDA. We ended the fourth quarter of 2024 with approximately $77 million in cash and cash equivalents and approximately $214 million in total available liquidity.
Conference Call Information
We have scheduled a conference call and webcast for today at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time) to discuss our fourth quarter and full year 2024 financial results as well as our outlook. The call-in number for the U.S. is 1-877-250-1553 and the international call-in number is 1-412-542-4145. In addition, a live audio webcast of the conference call may be accessed on the Webcasts section under the News, Events and Reports tab of GEO’s investor relations webpage at investors.geogroup.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website for one year. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through March 6, 2025, at 1-877-344-7529 (U.S.) and 1-412-317-0088 (International). The participant passcode for the telephonic replay is 3882673.
About The GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 99 facilities totaling approximately 79,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Reconciliation Tables and Supplemental Information
GEO has made available Supplemental Information which contains reconciliation tables of Net Income Attributable to GEO to Adjusted Net Income, and Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, along with supplemental financial and operational information on GEO’s business and other important operating metrics. The reconciliation tables are also presented herein. Please see the section below titled “Note to Reconciliation Tables and Supplemental Disclosure – Important Information on GEO’s Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for information on how GEO defines these supplemental Non-GAAP financial measures and reconciles them to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. GEO’s Reconciliation Tables can be found herein and in GEO’s Supplemental Information available on GEO’s investor webpage at investors.geogroup.com.
Note to Reconciliation Tables and Supplemental Disclosure – Important Information on GEO’s Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures that are presented as supplemental disclosures. GEO has presented herein certain forward-looking statements about GEO’s future financial performance that include non-GAAP financial measures, including Net Debt, Net Leverage, and Adjusted EBITDA.
The determination of the amounts that are included or excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures is a matter of management judgment and depends upon, among other factors, the nature of the underlying expense or income amounts recognized in a given period.
While we have provided a high level reconciliation for the guidance ranges for full year 2025, we are unable to present a more detailed quantitative reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures because management cannot reliably predict all of the necessary components of such GAAP measures.
The quantitative reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures will be provided for completed annual and quarterly periods, as applicable, calculated in a consistent manner with the quantitative reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures previously reported for completed annual and quarterly periods.
Net Debt is defined as gross principal debt less cash from restricted subsidiaries. Net Leverage is defined as Net Debt divided by Adjusted EBITDA.
EBITDA is defined as net income adjusted by adding provisions/(benefit) for income tax, interest expense, net of interest income, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA adjusted for (gain)/loss on asset divestitures/impairment, pre-tax, net loss attributable to non-controlling interests, stock-based compensation expenses, pre-tax, litigation costs and settlements, pre-tax, start-up expenses, pre-tax, transaction fees, pre-tax, one-time employee restructuring expenses, pre-tax, ATM equity program expenses, pre-tax, close-out expenses, pre-tax, other non-cash revenue and expenses, pre-tax, and certain other adjustments as defined from time to time.
Given the nature of our business as a real estate owner and operator, we believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are helpful to investors as measures of our operational performance because they provide an indication of our ability to incur and service debt, to satisfy general operating expenses, to make capital expenditures, and to fund other cash needs or reinvest cash into our business.
We believe that by removing the impact of our asset base (primarily depreciation and amortization) and excluding certain non-cash charges, amounts spent on interest and taxes, and certain other charges that are highly variable from year to year, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide our investors with performance measures that reflect the impact to operations from trends in occupancy rates, per diem rates and operating costs, providing a perspective not immediately apparent from net income.
The adjustments we make to derive the non-GAAP measures of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude items which may cause short-term fluctuations in income from continuing operations and which we do not consider to be the fundamental attributes or primary drivers of our business plan and they do not affect our overall long-term operating performance.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide disclosure on the same basis as that used by our management and provide consistency in our financial reporting, facilitate internal and external comparisons of our historical operating performance and our business units and provide continuity to investors for comparability purposes.
Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income/(loss) attributable to GEO adjusted for certain items which by their nature are not comparable from period to period or that tend to obscure GEO’s actual operating performance, including for the periods presented (gain)/loss on asset divestitures/impairment, pre-tax, loss on the extinguishment of debt, pre-tax, litigation costs and settlements, pre-tax, start-up expenses, pre-tax, transaction fees, pre-tax, one-time employee restructuring expenses, pre-tax, ATM equity program expenses, pre-tax, close-out expenses, pre-tax, discrete tax benefit, and tax effect of adjustments to net income attributable to GEO.
Safe-Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and future performance of GEO that involve risks and uncertainties that could materially and adversely affect actual results, including statements regarding GEO’s financial guidance for the full year of 2025, statements regarding GEO’s focus on reducing net debt, deleveraging its balance sheet, positioning itself to explore options to return capital to shareholders in the future, making investments to strengthen GEO’s capabilities and deliver expanded detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring services, pursuing unprecedented future growth opportunities and significant operational activity, and the upside this could have on GEO’s future financial results and financial guidance, and GEO’s ability to scale up the delivery of diversified services to support the future needs of its government agency partners. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” or “continue” or the negative of such words and similar expressions. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary from current expectations and forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to: (1) GEO’s ability to meet its financial guidance for 2025 given the various risks to which its business is exposed; (2) GEO’s ability to deleverage and repay, refinance or otherwise address its debt maturities in an amount and on terms commercially acceptable to GEO, and on the timeline it expects or at all; (3) GEO’s ability to identify and successfully complete any potential sales of company-owned assets and businesses or potential acquisitions of assets or businesses on commercially advantageous terms on a timely basis, or at all; (4) changes in federal and state government policy, orders, directives, legislation and regulations that affect public-private partnerships with respect to secure, correctional and detention facilities, processing centers and reentry centers; (5) changes in federal immigration policy; (6) public and political opposition to the use of public-private partnerships with respect to secure correctional and detention facilities, processing centers and reentry centers; (7) any continuing impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on GEO and GEO’s ability to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19; (8) GEO’s ability to sustain or improve company-wide occupancy rates at its facilities; (9) fluctuations in GEO’s operating results, including as a result of contract terminations, contract renegotiations, changes in occupancy levels and increases in GEO’s operating costs; (10) general economic and market conditions, including changes to governmental budgets and its impact on new contract terms, contract renewals, renegotiations, per diem rates, fixed payment provisions, and occupancy levels; (11) GEO’s ability to address inflationary pressures related to labor related expenses and other operating costs; (12) GEO’s ability to timely open facilities as planned, profitably manage such facilities and successfully integrate such facilities into GEO’s operations without substantial costs; (13) GEO’s ability to win management contracts for which it has submitted proposals and to retain existing management contracts; (14) risks associated with GEO’s ability to control operating costs associated with contract start-ups; (15) GEO’s ability to successfully pursue growth opportunities and continue to create shareholder value; (16) GEO’s ability to obtain financing or access the capital markets in the future on acceptable terms or at all; and (17) other factors contained in GEO’s Securities and Exchange Commission periodic filings, including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports, many of which are difficult to predict and outside of GEO’s control.
Earnings Release Scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2025 Before the Market Opens
Conference Call Scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time)
BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 23, 2025– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) (“GEO”) will release its fourth quarter 2024 financial results on Thursday, February 27, 2025 before the market opens. GEO has scheduled a conference call and simultaneous webcast for 11:00 AM (Eastern Time) on Thursday, February 27, 2025.
Hosting the call for GEO will be George Zoley, Executive Chairman of the Board, J. David Donahue, Chief Executive Officer, Wayne Calabrese, President and Chief Operating Officer, and Mark Suchinski, Chief Financial Officer.
To participate in the teleconference, please contact one of the following numbers 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start time:
In addition, a live audio webcast of the conference call may be accessed on the Webcasts section of GEO’s investor relations home page at investors.geogroup.com. A webcast replay will remain available on the website for one year.
A telephonic replay will also be available through March 6, 2025. The replay numbers are 1-877-344-7529 (U.S.) and 1-412-317-0088 (International). The passcode for the telephonic replay is 3882673. If you have any questions, please contact GEO at 1-866-301-4436.
BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 16, 2024– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO” or the “Company”) announced today a $70 million investment in capital expenditures to strengthen the Company’s capabilities to deliver expanded detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring services to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). GEO is currently the largest service provider to ICE, currently providing approximately 21,000 detention beds (with a present census of 14,000) at 16 ICE Processing Centers with the ability to expand to a minimum of 32,000 beds at 23 facilities. GEO also presently provides electronic monitoring and case management services for approximately 185,000 participants under the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, as well as secure ground transportation and air operations support services. With the objective of offsetting the $70 million investment in capital expenditures and further reducing debt, GEO intends to pursue the possible sale of several underperforming company-owned state correctional facilities.
In addition, GEO also announced several senior management changes. GEO’s Chief Executive Officer, Brian Evans, has given GEO notice of his retirement to pursue other opportunities, effective December 31, 2024. J. David Donahue will begin serving as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025. Mr. Donahue has more than 40 years of experience in corrections and detention, having served in senior executive roles overseeing operational planning, facility activations, and managing operational teams. He joined GEO as the Eastern Region Vice President in 2009, after a distinguished career in corrections with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Kentucky, and Indiana, where he served as Corrections Commissioner from 2005 to 2008. He also served as the Vice President of the American Correctional Association (“ACA”) and is an ACA-Certified Corrections Executive. During his tenure with GEO, Mr. Donahue was promoted to Senior Vice President and President of GEO Secure Services in 2016 and retired from GEO in July of 2020.
GEO previously announced the appointment of Paul Laird as Senior Vice President of Secure Services, effective January 1, 2025, replacing James Black who will retire on December 31, 2024 as previously announced. Mr. Laird joined GEO in 2015 as Eastern Region Director of Operations and was subsequently promoted to Western Region Vice President and was most recently transferred to Eastern Region Vice President. Prior to joining GEO, he served as Regional Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, North Central Regional Office, overseeing 20 facilities. Prior to that assignment, he served five years as the Chief Operating Officer of Federal Prison Industries and as Assistant Director of the Industries, Educational and Vocational Training Division. He also served on the AbilityOne Commission as a Presidential Appointee representing the United States Department of Justice between 2005 and 2015.
GEO also announced the appointment of Daniel Ragsdale as Senior Vice President, Contract Administration and Compliance, effective January 1, 2025. Mr. Ragsdale joined GEO in 2017 as Executive Vice President, Contract Compliance, after a successful career at ICE, where he served as Deputy Director from 2012 to 2017. In that capacity, he served as Chief Operating Officer for ICE, leading 20,000 employees, including 7,000 criminal investigators at Homeland Security Investigations and 6,000 officers in Enforcement and Removal Operations. He also previously served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “We are pleased to welcome back David Donahue to GEO in his new role as Chief Executive Officer. His more than 40 years of experience in corrections and detention, coupled with his experience in operational planning, facility activations, and managing and overseeing operational teams will serve as an asset to our Company as we face the new and expanding opportunities ahead. We are also pleased to welcome Paul Laird and Dan Ragsdale to our Senior Management team. Mr. Laird’s operational experience and Mr. Ragsdale’s background in federal contract administration will continue to be important assets for our Company.
We are continuing to prepare for what we believe are potentially unprecedented future growth opportunities. We are making a $70 million investment in capital expenditures to strengthen our capabilities to deliver expanded detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring and related services to ICE. We also intend to pursue the possible sale of several of our underperforming company-owned state correctional facilities with the objective of offsetting these capital investments and further reducing our overall debt.”
About The GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 99 facilities totaling approximately 80,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Use of forward-looking statements
This news release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements and risk factors contained in GEO’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including those referenced above. GEO disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 103 facilities totaling approximately 83,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
Ramping Up. The GEO Group announced a $70 million investment to expand the Company’s detention capacity, secure transportation, and electronic monitoring services to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). Already the largest services provider to ICE, GEO is currently providing approximately 21,000 detention beds (with a present census of 14,000) at 16 ICE Processing Centers with the ability to expand to a minimum of 32,000 beds at 23 facilities.
Financing. To help offset the $70 million investment in capital expenditures and further reduce debt, GEO intends to pursue the possible sale of several underperforming company-owned state correctional facilities. Any potential sale of facilities will depend, at least partially, on valuation, but we view this positively.
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*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 103 facilities totaling approximately 83,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
NobleCon20. The GEO Group CEO Brian Evans presented at NobleCon20. Highlights included potentially improving segment trends, an aging prison infrastructure, and reducing debt to be more flexible. A rebroadcast is available at https://www.channelchek.com/videos/the-geo-group-noblecon20-replay.
Segment Trends. With the new Trump administration approaching in January, management notes the administration’s immigration enforcement policies may positively impact its detention capacity, electronic monitoring, and secure transportation businesses. GEO remains poised to capitalize on any increase in detention and/or enhanced supervision with roughly 8,000 beds at existing facilities and 10,000 beds at six company-owned currently idle facilities. In addition, ISAP populations were roughly double today’s level two years ago.
Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.
This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).
*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 103 facilities totaling approximately 83,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Joe Gomes, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research Analyst, Generalist , Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.
Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.
Below Expectations. The GEO Group reported third quarter 2024 results below management’s and our expectations. Results in the quarter were driven by lower-than-expected revenues in the Electronic Monitoring and Supervision Services segment, reflecting reduced participant count. ICE populations have remained relatively flat over the past three quarters, although they are up y-o-y.
3Q24. GEO reported total revenues for the third quarter 2024 of $603.1 million compared to $602.8 million last year. We forecasted $612 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $118.6 million, flat with 3Q23. We were at $128 million. Net income for 3Q24 totaled $26.3 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to $24.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for 3Q23. Adjusted EPS was $0.21 per diluted share compared to $0.19 per diluted share for 3Q23. We had projected $0.25 and $0.26, respectively.
Equity Research is available at no cost to Registered users of Channelchek. Not a Member? Click ‘Join’ to join the Channelchek Community. There is no cost to register, and we never collect credit card information.
This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).
*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary. Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.
Key Points: – Shares of Geo Group and CoreCivic saw significant increases (over 7% and 8%, respectively) after the appointment of Tom Homan as “border czar,” – Homan’s appointment aligns with Trump’s strong stance on deportation and border security, so there is an anticipated increase in federal contracts for private detention companies – Renewed focus on immigration enforcement marks a a significant departure from the current adminstration’s stance
Private prison stocks surged Monday after President-elect Donald Trump appointed Tom Homan as “border czar,” sparking market optimism about a renewed focus on immigration enforcement. Shares of Geo Group and CoreCivic, both major players in the private detention sector, jumped over 7% and 8%, respectively, in response to the announcement. Homan, previously the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Trump’s first term, is known for his firm stance on deportation and border security. His appointment signals a potential increase in federal contracting for companies that provide detention services, specifically for ICE operations.
Trump’s announcement on Truth Social stated that Homan will be in charge of all deportation efforts, encompassing both land and maritime borders, with an emphasis on accelerating deportations. During a conservative conference in July, Homan declared he would lead the “biggest deportation force” in U.S. history if Trump was re-elected. This strong stance aligns with Trump’s previous immigration policies, which saw heightened demand for detention facilities, and is expected to bolster the private prison industry, including companies like Geo Group and CoreCivic, which have contracts with ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The renewed focus on immigration enforcement under Trump is a significant shift from the current administration’s approach, which has limited federal use of private detention centers. This shift presents a potential growth opportunity for private prison companies, which struggled as President Biden worked to reduce private prison contracts. With Homan’s appointment, investors anticipate a resurgence of federal reliance on private detention services to meet increased demand for housing immigrant detainees.
Analysts have responded positively to this development, citing that Trump’s administration will likely “embrace” companies like Geo Group and CoreCivic. Isaac Boltansky, an analyst with BTIG, noted that private prison companies are positioned for growth under an immigration-focused administration, specifically due to likely contracting needs with the U.S. Marshals Service and ICE. Analysts expect Homan’s policies to generate consistent demand for private facilities, which could lead to stronger financial performance and increased market value for these companies.
Trump’s firm stance on deportation and his choice of Homan as border czar have energized investors. The expected rise in federal contracts signals a favorable outlook for private prison stocks. With immigration reform likely to be a focal point in Trump’s administration, CoreCivic and Geo Group could see sustained growth, especially as they support the expanded need for detention services. The private prison sector, long entangled with federal enforcement policies, now faces a potential resurgence as market trends align with anticipated shifts in government policy.
BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 7, 2024– The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO”), a leading provider of contracted support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and reentry centers, as well as enhanced in-custody rehabilitation, post-release support, and electronic monitoring programs, reported today its financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2024.
Third Quarter 2024 Highlights
Total revenues of $603.1 million
Net Income Attributable to GEO of $0.19 per diluted share
Adjusted Net Income of $0.21 per diluted share
Adjusted EBITDA of $118.6 million
For the third quarter 2024, we reported net income attributable to GEO of $26.3 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to GEO of $24.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the third quarter 2023. Third quarter 2024 results reflect costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $2.9 million, pre-tax, $0.4 million in transaction fees, pre-tax, and $0.5 million in close-out expenses, pre-tax. Excluding the costs associated with the extinguishment of debt and other unusual and/or nonrecurring items, we reported adjusted net income for the third quarter 2024 of $29.1 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, compared to $23.6 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, for the third quarter 2023.
We reported total revenues for the third quarter 2024 of $603.1 million compared to $602.8 million for the third quarter 2023. We reported third quarter 2024 Adjusted EBITDA of $118.6 million, compared to $118.7 million for the third quarter 2023.
Third quarter 2024 results reflect lower-than-expected revenues in our Electronic Monitoring and Supervision Services segment, primarily due to the decline in participant counts under the federal government’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (“ISAP”). Participant counts under ISAP averaged approximately 177,000 individuals during the third quarter 2024, compared to average ISAP participant counts of approximately 184,000 during the second quarter 2024.
George C. Zoley, Executive Chairman of GEO, said, “While our third quarter results were below our expectations due to lower-than-expected revenues in our Electronic Monitoring and Supervision Services segment, we believe we have several potential sources of upside to our current quarterly run rate, with possible future growth opportunities across our diversified services platform. We have 18,000 available beds across contracted and idle secure services facilities, which if fully activated, would provide significant potential upside to our financial performance. We also believe we have the necessary resources to materially scale up the service levels in our ISAP and air and ground transportation contracts.”
“As we evaluate and pursue future growth opportunities, we remain focused on the disciplined allocation of capital to further reduce our debt, deleverage our balance sheet, and position our company to evaluate options to return capital to shareholders in the future,” Zoley added.
First Nine Months 2024 Highlights
Total revenues of $1.82 billion
Net Income Attributable to GEO of $0.11 per diluted share, reflects costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $85.3 million, pre-tax
Adjusted Net Income of $0.63 per diluted share
Adjusted EBITDA of $355.5 million
For the first nine months of 2024, we reported net income attributable to GEO of $16.5 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, compared to net income attributable to GEO of $82.1 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, for the first nine months of 2023. Results for the first nine months of 2024 reflect costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $85.3 million, pre-tax.
Excluding the costs associated with the extinguishment of debt and other unusual and/or nonrecurring items, we reported adjusted net income for the first nine months of 2024 of $82.8 million, or $0.63 per diluted share, compared to $79.8 million, or $0.65 per diluted share, for the first nine months of 2023.
We reported total revenues for the first nine months of 2024 of $1.82 billion compared to $1.80 billion for the first nine months of 2023. We reported Adjusted EBITDA for the first nine months of 2024 of $355.5 million, compared to $378.6 million for the first nine months of 2023.
Financial Guidance
Today, we updated our financial guidance for the fourth quarter and full year 2024. While participant counts under ISAP have been increasing subsequent to the end of the third quarter 2024 to approximately 182,500 currently, and while it is possible ISAP participant counts and utilization of ICE processing center beds may further increase this year, we have updated our fourth quarter 2024 guidance to be largely consistent with our third quarter 2024 results. We expect fourth quarter 2024 Net Income Attributable to GEO to be in a range of $0.19 to $0.22 per diluted share on quarterly revenues of $600 million to $610 million. We expect fourth quarter 2024 Adjusted EBITDA to be in a range of $114 million to $124 million.
For the full year 2024, we expect Net Income Attributable to GEO to be in a range of $0.30 to $0.34 per diluted share, which reflects costs associated with the extinguishment of debt of $87 million, pre-tax. Excluding the costs associated with the extinguishment of debt and other unusual and/or nonrecurring items, we expect full year 2024 Adjusted Net Income to be in a range of $0.80 to $0.84 per diluted share, on annual revenues of approximately $2.42 billion and reflecting an effective tax rate of approximately 23 percent, inclusive of known discrete items. We expect our full year 2024 Adjusted EBITDA to be between $470 million and $480 million.
Recent Developments
On October 4, 2024, we announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) exercised the first five-year option period extending the contract for the GEO-owned 1,940-bed Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California (the “Adelanto Center”) through December 19, 2029. ICE and GEO entered into a 15-year contract on December 19, 2019, for the provision of secure residential housing and support care services at the Adelanto Center, consisting of a five-year base period followed by two five-year option periods. The Adelanto Center employs approximately 350 employees.
Balance Sheet
At the end of the third quarter 2024, our net debt totaled approximately $1.69 billion, and our net leverage was approximately 3.5 times Adjusted EBITDA. We ended the third quarter 2024 with approximately $71 million in cash and cash equivalents and approximately $280 million in total available liquidity.
Conference Call Information
We have scheduled a conference call and webcast for today at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time) to discuss our third quarter 2024 financial results as well as our outlook. The call-in number for the U.S. is 1-877-250-1553 and the international call-in number is 1-412-542-4145. In addition, a live audio webcast of the conference call may be accessed on the Webcasts section under the News, Events and Reports tab of GEO’s investor relations webpage at investors.geogroup.com. A replay of the webcast will be available on the website for one year. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available through November 14, 2024, at 1-877-344-7529 (U.S.) and 1-412-317-0088 (International). The participant passcode for the telephonic replay is 7169822.
About The GEO Group
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development, and support services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the United States, Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. GEO’s diversified services include enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support through the award-winning GEO Continuum of Care®, secure transportation, electronic monitoring, community-based programs, and correctional health and mental health care. GEO’s worldwide operations include the ownership and/or delivery of support services for 99 facilities totaling approximately 80,000 beds, including idle facilities and projects under development, with a workforce of up to approximately 18,000 employees.
Reconciliation Tables and Supplemental Information
GEO has made available Supplemental Information which contains reconciliation tables of Net Income Attributable to GEO to Adjusted Net Income, and Net Income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, along with supplemental financial and operational information on GEO’s business and other important operating metrics. The reconciliation tables are also presented herein. Please see the section below titled “Note to Reconciliation Tables and Supplemental Disclosure – Important Information on GEO’s Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for information on how GEO defines these supplemental Non-GAAP financial measures and reconciles them to the most directly comparable GAAP measures. GEO’s Reconciliation Tables can be found herein and in GEO’s Supplemental Information available on GEO’s investor webpage at investors.geogroup.com.
Note to Reconciliation Tables and Supplemental Disclosure – Important Information on GEO’s Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Adjusted Net Income, EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures that are presented as supplemental disclosures. GEO has presented herein certain forward-looking statements about GEO’s future financial performance that include non-GAAP financial measures, including Net Debt, Net Leverage, and Adjusted EBITDA. The determination of the amounts that are included or excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures is a matter of management judgment and depends upon, among other factors, the nature of the underlying expense or income amounts recognized in a given period.
While we have provided a high level reconciliation for the guidance ranges for full year 2024, we are unable to present a more detailed quantitative reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures because management cannot reliably predict all of the necessary components of such GAAP measures. The quantitative reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures will be provided for completed annual and quarterly periods, as applicable, calculated in a consistent manner with the quantitative reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures previously reported for completed annual and quarterly periods.
Net Debt is defined as gross principal debt less cash from restricted subsidiaries. Net Leverage is defined as Net Debt divided by Adjusted EBITDA.
EBITDA is defined as net income adjusted by adding provisions/(benefit) for income tax, interest expense, net of interest income, and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA adjusted for (gain)/loss on asset divestitures/impairment, pre-tax, net loss attributable to non-controlling interests, stock-based compensation expenses, pre-tax, start-up expenses, pre-tax, ATM equity program expenses, pre-tax, transaction fees, pre-tax, close-out expenses, pre-tax, other non-cash revenue and expenses, pre-tax, and certain other adjustments as defined from time to time.
Given the nature of our business as a real estate owner and operator, we believe that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are helpful to investors as measures of our operational performance because they provide an indication of our ability to incur and service debt, to satisfy general operating expenses, to make capital expenditures, and to fund other cash needs or reinvest cash into our business.
We believe that by removing the impact of our asset base (primarily depreciation and amortization) and excluding certain non-cash charges, amounts spent on interest and taxes, and certain other charges that are highly variable from year to year, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide our investors with performance measures that reflect the impact to operations from trends in occupancy rates, per diem rates and operating costs, providing a perspective not immediately apparent from net income.
The adjustments we make to derive the non-GAAP measures of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA exclude items which may cause short-term fluctuations in income from continuing operations and which we do not consider to be the fundamental attributes or primary drivers of our business plan and they do not affect our overall long-term operating performance.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provide disclosure on the same basis as that used by our management and provide consistency in our financial reporting, facilitate internal and external comparisons of our historical operating performance and our business units and provide continuity to investors for comparability purposes.
Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income/(loss) attributable to GEO adjusted for certain items which by their nature are not comparable from period to period or that tend to obscure GEO’s actual operating performance, including for the periods presented (gain)/loss on asset divestitures/impairment, pre-tax, loss on the extinguishment of debt, pre-tax, start-up expenses, pre-tax, transaction fees, pre-tax, ATM equity program expenses, pre-tax, close-out expenses, pre-tax, discrete tax benefit, and tax effect of adjustments to net income attributable to GEO.
Safe-Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and future performance of GEO that involve risks and uncertainties that could materially and adversely affect actual results, including statements regarding GEO’s financial guidance for the full year and fourth quarter of 2024, statements regarding GEO’s focus on reducing net debt, deleveraging its balance sheet, positioning itself to explore options to return capital to shareholders in the future, and pursuing a disciplined allocation of capital to enhance long-term value for shareholders, executing on GEO’s strategic priorities, pursuing quality growth opportunities, and the upside this could have on GEO’s quarterly run-rate, and GEO’s ability to scale up the delivery of diversified services to support the future needs of its government agency partners. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” or “continue” or the negative of such words and similar expressions. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary from current expectations and forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to: (1) GEO’s ability to meet its financial guidance for 2024 given the various risks to which its business is exposed; (2) GEO’s ability to deleverage and repay, refinance or otherwise address its debt maturities in an amount and on terms commercially acceptable to GEO, and on the timeline it expects or at all; (3) GEO’s ability to identify and successfully complete any potential sales of company-owned assets and businesses or potential acquisitions of assets or businesses on commercially advantageous terms on a timely basis, or at all; (4) changes in federal and state government policy, orders, directives, legislation and regulations that affect public-private partnerships with respect to secure, correctional and detention facilities, processing centers and reentry centers, including the timing and scope of implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order directing the U.S. Attorney General not to renew the U.S. Department of Justice contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities; (5) changes in federal immigration policy; (6) public and political opposition to the use of public-private partnerships with respect to secure correctional and detention facilities, processing centers and reentry centers; (7) any continuing impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on GEO and GEO’s ability to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19; (8) GEO’s ability to sustain or improve company-wide occupancy rates at its facilities; (9) fluctuations in GEO’s operating results, including as a result of contract terminations, contract renegotiations, changes in occupancy levels and increases in GEO’s operating costs; (10) general economic and market conditions, including changes to governmental budgets and its impact on new contract terms, contract renewals, renegotiations, per diem rates, fixed payment provisions, and occupancy levels; (11) GEO’s ability to address inflationary pressures related to labor related expenses and other operating costs; (12) GEO’s ability to timely open facilities as planned, profitably manage such facilities and successfully integrate such facilities into GEO’s operations without substantial costs; (13) GEO’s ability to win management contracts for which it has submitted proposals and to retain existing management contracts; (14) risks associated with GEO’s ability to control operating costs associated with contract start-ups; (15) GEO’s ability to successfully pursue growth opportunities and continue to create shareholder value; (16) GEO’s ability to obtain financing or access the capital markets in the future on acceptable terms or at all; and (17) other factors contained in GEO’s Securities and Exchange Commission periodic filings, including its Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports, many of which are difficult to predict and outside of GEO’s control.