Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Acquires 291,774 Shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE)

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) by 26.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,407,778 shares of the technology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 291,774 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in Guidewire Software were worth $237,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Guidewire Software during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the third quarter worth $33,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 101.0% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 197 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Shares of GWRE opened at $193.58 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $198.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $188.37. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 12 month low of $107.00 and a 12 month high of $219.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 537.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.31.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The technology company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.44). The business had revenue of $289.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $285.74 million. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 2.38% and a net margin of 2.91%. As a group, analysts predict that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 0.52 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, insider James Winston King sold 270 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were 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 directly owns 45,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,981,153.92. The trade was a 0.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.78, for a total transaction of $52,434.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 73,494 shares in the company, valued at $12,845,281.32. This represents a 0.41 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 37,180 shares of company stock valued at $7,159,763 in the last quarter. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on GWRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Guidewire Software from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Guidewire Software from $220.00 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. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $206.08.

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.