Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Guidewire Software Call Options (NYSE:GWRE)

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

Guidewire Software Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWRE opened at $187.81 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.48, a current ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a PE ratio of 178.87, a P/E/G ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 1.08. Guidewire Software has a twelve month low of $165.08 and a twelve month high of $272.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $209.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $223.42.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on GWRE shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $281.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson raised shares of Guidewire Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $246.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $271.29.

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other news, insider James Winston King sold 1,860 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total value of $362,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,571,890. This represents a 5.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President John P. Mullen sold 7,975 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total value of $1,531,838.00. Following the sale, the president owned 141,983 shares in the company, valued at $27,272,094.64. This trade represents a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 52,740 shares of company stock worth $10,859,052. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the 1st quarter valued at $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 bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the second quarter worth about $32,000.

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.