Guidewire Software Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:GWRE)

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 1,297 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,563% compared to the average daily volume of 78 call options.

Guidewire Software Stock Down 4.2%

Shares of GWRE opened at $125.82 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.65 billion, a PE ratio of 57.19 and a beta of 0.91. Guidewire Software has a 12 month low of $115.57 and a 12 month high of $272.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $145.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.76. The company has a current ratio of 2.93, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The technology company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $359.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $342.88 million. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 14.11%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.51 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Guidewire Software will post 1.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 4,737 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.86, for a total value of $776,204.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 221,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,246,815.16. The trade was a 2.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 4,757 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.72, for a total value of $755,031.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 67,996 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,792,325.12. This represents a 6.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,479 shares of company stock valued at $5,007,134 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWRE. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Guidewire Software by 620.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Guidewire Software from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Guidewire Software from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $246.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $249.85.

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.