Merit Financial Group LLC Invests $391,000 in Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE)

Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,317 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $391,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,426,907 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $626,918,000 after buying an additional 679,558 shares during the period. Linonia Partnership LP raised its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 8.4% during the second quarter. Linonia Partnership LP now owns 2,395,601 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $330,329,000 after acquiring an additional 185,077 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Guidewire Software by 0.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,330,074 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $243,580,000 after purchasing an additional 6,223 shares during the last quarter. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Guidewire Software by 3.3% in the third quarter. Whale Rock Capital Management LLC now owns 972,743 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $177,954,000 after purchasing an additional 31,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its position in Guidewire Software by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 764,400 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $139,839,000 after purchasing an additional 53,967 shares during the last quarter.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWRE opened at $205.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The business’s 50 day moving average is $182.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.52. The company has a market cap of $17.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 570.40, a P/E/G ratio of 47.71 and a beta of 1.23. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.00 and a 12 month high of $212.00.

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, insider James Winston King sold 270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.78, for a total value of $47,190.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 45,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,981,153.92. This trade represents a 0.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 2,828 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $483,757.68. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 74,911 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,814,275.66. This represents a 3.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,306 shares of company stock worth $5,288,309. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on GWRE. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Guidewire Software from $210.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $231.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Guidewire Software in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $210.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $196.08.

Guidewire Software Profile

Guidewire Software, Inc provides a platform for property and casualty (P&C) insurers worldwide. The company offers Guidewire InsuranceSuite Cloud, such as PolicyCenter Cloud, BillingCenter Cloud, and ClaimCenter Cloud applications. It also provides Guidewire InsuranceNow, a cloud-based platform that offers policy, billing, and claims management functionality to insurers; and Guidewire InsuranceSuite for Self-Managed.