Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) Stock Price Up 5% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) traded up 5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $137.15 and last traded at $137.95. Approximately 136,041 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 1,642,764 shares. The stock had previously closed at $131.38.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $215.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 25th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $225.00 to $200.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $180.00 price objective for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $255.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $221.00.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $132.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.71. The company has a market capitalization of $11.44 billion, a PE ratio of 74.23 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 2.44 and a current ratio of 2.44.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, June 4th. The technology company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.08. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 11.25%.The business had revenue of $372.54 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $355.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. Guidewire Software’s revenue was up 26.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 1.83 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In related news, President John P. Mullen sold 4,292 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.74, for a total value of $509,632.08. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 131,115 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,568,595.10. This represents a 3.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider James Winston King sold 1,684 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $130.64, for a total transaction of $219,997.76. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,921,551.52. The trade was a 5.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 30,193 shares of company stock valued at $3,792,858 over the last three months. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Guidewire Software by 8.2% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 867,117 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $106,699,000 after buying an additional 65,628 shares during the period. First Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 3,998 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $492,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,151 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $880,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 35.1% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 458 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the 2nd quarter worth $225,000.

Guidewire Software Company Profile

Guidewire Software, Inc develops software products and cloud services for property and casualty (P&C) insurance carriers. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, the company’s offerings are designed to help insurers manage the core functions of their business—policy administration, billing and claims—while supporting digital engagement, analytics and operational modernization.

Guidewire’s core product portfolio is commonly known as the InsuranceSuite, which includes PolicyCenter for policy administration, BillingCenter for billing and receivables, and ClaimCenter for claims management.