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

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 1,297 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,563% compared to the average volume of 78 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $246.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $281.00 target price on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $242.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $266.64.

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 2,872 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total transaction of $551,653.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 74,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,252,528.08. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider James Winston King sold 1,860 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total value of $362,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 33,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,571,890. The trade was a 5.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 48,358 shares of company stock worth $9,409,729. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Guidewire Software

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Guidewire Software during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the second quarter valued at about $32,000.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Shares of GWRE opened at $125.98 on Friday. 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 $121.88 and a 52-week high of $272.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $183.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $213.05. The company has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 119.98, a P/E/G ratio of 8.52 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Guidewire Software declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 8th that permits the company to repurchase $500.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the technology company to purchase up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors 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.