Guidewire Software Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:GWRE)

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) saw unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 1,297 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 1,563% compared to the typical volume of 78 call options.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 216 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.87, for a total value of $39,067.92. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 72,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,158,835.11. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.50, for a total transaction of $150,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 229,543 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,807,646.50. The trade was a 0.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,760 shares of company stock worth $7,978,508. 0.46% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Guidewire Software in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Guidewire Software in the second quarter worth about $32,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on GWRE shares. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $246.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on Guidewire Software from $225.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.92.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

GWRE traded up $7.92 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $161.71. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,351,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,777,200. The stock has a market cap of $13.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 154.01, a P/E/G ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $156.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $201.52. The company has a current ratio of 3.48, a quick ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Guidewire Software has a 12 month low of $120.37 and a 12 month high of $272.60.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The technology company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $332.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $316.62 million. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 7.23%.Guidewire Software’s quarterly revenue was up 26.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Guidewire Software announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, January 8th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the technology company to buy up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Guidewire Software

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.