BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) ("GEO") today announced that it will be added as a constituent of the FTSE NAREIT US Real Estate Index Series, including the FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index as of the close of March 15, 2013.
The FTSE NAREIT US Real Estate Index Series is designed to present investors with a comprehensive family of REIT performance indexes that spans the commercial real estate space across the US economy. The index series provides investors with exposure to all investment and property sectors. In addition, the more narrowly focused property sector and sub-sector indexes provide the facility to concentrate commercial real estate exposure in more selected markets. The FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs index contains all Equity REITs not designated as Timber REITs or Infrastructure REITs. A copy of the notice issued by FTSE can be found at http://www.ftse.com/tech_notices/2013/Q1/NAREIT_Mar_2013.xls.
George C. Zoley, GEO's Chairman, CEO and Founder, said, “We are very pleased with the announced addition of our company as a constituent of the FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index as of the close of March 15, 2013. Inclusion in the FTSE NAREIT Equity REITs Index further validates the decisive actions taken by our Board and our management team to position GEO to become the first fully integrated equity REIT in our industry.”
About The GEO Group, Inc.
The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE:GEO) is the first fully integrated equity real estate investment trust 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, and community reentry 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 100 facilities totaling 73,000 beds with a growing workforce of approximately 18,000 professionals.
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 affect actual results. Factors 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 given the various risks to which its business is exposed; (2) GEO's ability to declare future cash dividends; (3) GEO's ability to successfully pursue further growth and continue to create shareholder value; (4) risks associated with GEO's ability to control operating costs associated with contract start-ups; (5) 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; (6) GEO's ability to win management contracts for which it has submitted proposals and to retain existing management contracts; (7) GEO's ability to obtain future financing on acceptable terms; (8) GEO's ability to sustain company-wide occupancy rates at its facilities; (9) GEO's ability to access the capital markets in the future on satisfactory terms or at all; and (10) other factors contained in GEO's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reports.