CoreCivic (NYSE:CXW) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CoreCivic (NYSE:CXW) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Separately, Jones Trading reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 price target on shares of CoreCivic in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.00.

CoreCivic Stock Up 5.9%

CXW stock opened at $18.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 17.51 and a beta of 0.71. CoreCivic has a 1 year low of $15.95 and a 1 year high of $23.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.22. 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 (NYSE:CXW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $603.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $585.12 million. CoreCivic had a return on equity of 8.17% and a net margin of 5.27%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.39 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CoreCivic will post 1.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Institutional Trading of CoreCivic

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Rubric Capital Management LP grew its position in CoreCivic by 140.6% in the third quarter. Rubric Capital Management LP now owns 1,961,446 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $39,915,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146,166 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its holdings in CoreCivic by 361.3% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,260,637 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,562,000 after purchasing an additional 987,375 shares during the last quarter. Hatch Cove Capital LLC acquired a new position in CoreCivic in the fourth quarter valued at about $12,951,000. Philosophy Capital Management LLC grew its stake in CoreCivic by 144.9% during the third quarter. Philosophy Capital Management LLC now owns 1,021,373 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $20,785,000 after buying an additional 604,311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Turiya Advisors Asia Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CoreCivic during the third quarter worth approximately $9,748,000. 85.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting CoreCivic

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

CoreCivic Company Profile

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.