Investors Buy High Volume of Guidewire Software Call Options (NYSE:GWRE)

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

Guidewire Software Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GWRE opened at $193.25 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $197.06 and a 200 day moving average of $186.82. The company has a market cap of $16.21 billion, a PE ratio of 536.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. Guidewire Software has a 12-month low of $107.00 and a 12-month high of $219.59.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The technology company reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.44). The company had revenue of $289.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.74 million. Guidewire Software had a net margin of 2.91% and a return on equity of 2.38%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on GWRE shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Guidewire Software from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, March 7th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Guidewire Software from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Guidewire Software from $228.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Guidewire Software currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $206.08.

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other news, President John P. Mullen sold 6,116 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.41, for a total value of $1,158,431.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 166,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,504,565.30. The trade was a 3.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider James Winston King sold 270 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 45,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,981,153.92. This represents a 0.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 35,780 shares of company stock valued at $6,886,553 in the last quarter. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,185 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $7,449,000 after acquiring an additional 1,282 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC purchased a new position in Guidewire Software in the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp purchased a new position in Guidewire Software in the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,827,000. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in Guidewire Software by 31.6% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,455 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Guidewire Software in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,172,000.

Guidewire Software Company 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.