BTIG Research Upgrades Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) to Strong-Buy

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) was upgraded by research analysts at BTIG Research to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on GWRE. Zacks Research lowered shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and set a $281.00 target price on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $270.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, DA Davidson upgraded Guidewire Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $246.00 to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.29.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

GWRE opened at $193.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 184.62, a PEG ratio of 12.68 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $223.17 and a 200-day moving average of $228.38. The company has a quick ratio of 3.48, a current ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Guidewire Software has a 12-month low of $165.08 and a 12-month high of $272.60.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Guidewire Software

In other news, President John P. Mullen sold 7,975 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total transaction of $1,531,838.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 141,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,272,094.64. This represents a 5.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 6,015 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total value of $1,155,361.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 240,743 shares in the company, valued at $46,241,915.44. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 49,719 shares of company stock worth $10,538,481 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWRE. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Guidewire Software in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Guidewire Software in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Guidewire Software in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Guidewire Software during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000.

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.