Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) Given New $250.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $300.00 to $250.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the technology company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would suggest a potential upside of 55.43% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Guidewire Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on Guidewire Software from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Guidewire Software presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $254.00.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

NYSE:GWRE opened at $160.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $13.67 billion, a PE ratio of 153.18, a P/E/G ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 1.06. The business’s 50 day moving average is $155.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $201.24. The company has a quick ratio of 3.48, a current ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Guidewire Software has a 52 week low of $120.37 and a 52 week high of $272.60.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The technology company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.40. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 7.23%.The business had revenue of $359.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $342.88 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 EPS for the current year.

Guidewire Software announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, January 8th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 6,015 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total value of $1,155,361.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 240,743 shares in the company, valued at $46,241,915.44. This trade represents a 2.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 2,872 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total value of $551,653.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 74,201 shares in the company, valued at $14,252,528.08. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,760 shares of company stock valued at $7,978,508. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Guidewire Software during the 4th quarter valued at $202,405,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 3,636.9% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 731,467 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $172,224,000 after buying an additional 711,893 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in Guidewire Software by 240.0% during the second quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 850,000 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $200,132,000 after buying an additional 600,000 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in Guidewire Software by 405.1% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 538,303 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $126,743,000 after acquiring an additional 431,725 shares during the period. Finally, Stockbridge Partners LLC grew its holdings in Guidewire Software by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 1,445,206 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $290,501,000 after acquiring an additional 405,850 shares during the period.

Key Guidewire Software News

Here are the key news stories impacting Guidewire Software this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat and raised outlook — Guidewire reported a strong Q2 with EPS and revenue above consensus and raised its fiscal‑2026 outlook, a primary driver of the rally. Guidewire Raises Outlook After Strong Quarter
• Positive Sentiment: Raised fiscal‑2026 revenue target to $1.448B — Management cited large deals and accelerating AI-driven modernization as reasons for lifting the revenue outlook, supporting expectations for continued top‑line acceleration. Guidewire raises fiscal 2026 revenue outlook to $1.448B
• Positive Sentiment: Company release & messaging — Official BusinessWire release emphasized durable demand for large, multi‑year deals and AI-driven product momentum, reinforcing the guidance raise and positive management commentary. Guidewire Announces Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade / price‑target lift — BTIG raised its price target from $175 to $200 and maintained a buy rating, adding analyst conviction and potential incremental buy-side interest. BTIG price target raise (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity — Large call buying was noted (1,297 calls), signaling speculative or hedged bullish bets that can amplify intraday moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 / ARR highlights coverage — Analyst and media recaps emphasize strong ARR growth and cloud momentum; useful detail for modeling subscription cadence but largely descriptive rather than new. Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights (Yahoo)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript & details — Full transcript provides color on large deals, AI initiatives, and cadence for ARR conversion — helpful for longer‑term modeling but not incremental to the headline beat. Earnings Call Transcript (Seeking Alpha)
• Neutral Sentiment: Metric analysis — Zacks and other outlets note outperformance versus estimates on top and bottom lines; useful for comparing execution but mostly confirms the beat. Guidewire Q2 earnings vs. estimates (Zacks)

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.