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

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders 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 Price Performance

NYSE:GWRE traded down $2.37 on Friday, reaching $192.89. 31,415 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 694,184. Guidewire Software has a 52 week low of $94.97 and a 52 week high of $199.33. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $182.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $151.38.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 5th. The technology company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.08. Guidewire Software had a negative net margin of 0.62% and a negative return on equity of 1.29%. The company had revenue of $291.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $283.84 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.30 earnings per share. Guidewire Software’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Guidewire Software will post 0.53 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 target price (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, October 11th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, October 11th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $168.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Friday, September 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.62.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 23,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $4,024,928.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 287,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,523,889.92. This trade represents a 7.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, President John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.68, for a total value of $253,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 190,611 shares in the company, valued at $35,773,872.48. This trade represents a 0.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,601 shares of company stock valued at $9,050,448 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guidewire Software

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWRE. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 11.6% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,693 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $1,131,000 after acquiring an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter worth approximately $417,000. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 0.7% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 153,600 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $17,927,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 11.5% during the first quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,486 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 4.7% in the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 96,324 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $11,242,000 after buying an additional 4,330 shares during the period.

About Guidewire Software

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.