CoreCivic (NYSE:CXW) Director Mark Emkes Sells 30,000 Shares of Stock

CoreCivic, Inc. (NYSE:CXW) Director Mark Emkes sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.25, for a total transaction of $1,027,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 141,274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,838,634.50. This represents a 17.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

CoreCivic Price Performance

Shares of CXW opened at $33.89 on Thursday. CoreCivic, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.73 and a twelve month high of $34.86. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.11 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

CoreCivic (NYSE:CXW) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $684.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $618.63 million. CoreCivic had a net margin of 5.15% and a return on equity of 9.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. CoreCivic has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.610-2.700 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that CoreCivic, Inc. will post 2.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CoreCivic announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Monday, August 10th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the real estate investment trust to purchase up to 15.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CXW shares. JonesTrading reissued a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 target price on shares of CoreCivic in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Northland Securities set a $40.00 price target on CoreCivic in a report on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group set a $35.00 price target on CoreCivic in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CoreCivic from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Noble Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of CoreCivic in a report on Monday, August 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $37.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CoreCivic

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. NBC Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CoreCivic by 533.9% in the 4th quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,458 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228 shares during the last quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd purchased a new position in CoreCivic during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG purchased a new position in CoreCivic during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in CoreCivic by 320.7% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,340 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 2,546 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CoreCivic

Here are the key news stories impacting CoreCivic this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CoreCivic’s board authorized a $500 million share-repurchase program, potentially allowing the company to buy back up to 15.7% of outstanding shares. Buybacks can support per-share earnings and signal that management believes the stock is undervalued.
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations: EPS was $0.38 versus the $0.34 consensus, while revenue of $684.9 million topped estimates of $618.6 million and increased 27.3% year over year. Full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains $2.61–$2.70.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $37. Several firms have maintained or issued Buy/Outperform ratings.
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional ownership is high at approximately 85%, and BlackRock recently established a sizable position. Continued institutional demand may provide support for CoreCivic (CXW).
• Neutral Sentiment: CXW is trading close to its 52-week high and above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating strong momentum but also leaving less room for error if sentiment weakens.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders sold shares recently. EVP Anthony Grande sold 12,564 shares on August 26 after selling another 7,436 shares on August 24; Director John R. Prann Jr. sold 3,098 shares, and Director Mark A. Emkes sold 30,000 shares. The sales reduced their respective holdings by roughly 8.0%, 4.5%, 38.3% and 17.5%. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest surged 331.5% to 15.4 million shares, equal to 15.9% of the float and about 8.6 days of average trading volume. The increase signals substantially greater bearish positioning and could amplify volatility.

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.