Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Short Interest Update

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,700,000 shares, a growth of 10.2% from the March 31st total of 2,450,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 580,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.7 days. Currently, 3.3% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWRE. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 7th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $115.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $115.11.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

GWRE opened at $110.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -178.79 and a beta of 1.15. Guidewire Software has a fifty-two week low of $68.45 and a fifty-two week high of $122.35. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $114.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.17. The company has a quick ratio of 3.45, a current ratio of 3.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The technology company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.18) by $0.22. Guidewire Software had a negative net margin of 5.48% and a negative return on equity of 3.60%. The company had revenue of $240.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $240.93 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Guidewire Software will post -0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Guidewire Software news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 4,420 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.75, for a total value of $493,935.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 245,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,420,656.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider John P. Mullen sold 3,665 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.75, for a total transaction of $409,563.75. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 149,397 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,695,114.75. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 4,420 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.75, for a total transaction of $493,935.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 245,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,420,656.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 9,435 shares of company stock worth $1,053,821 in the last quarter. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 11.6% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,693 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $1,131,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 13.4% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 111,489 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $13,012,000 after acquiring an additional 13,163 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter valued at approximately $498,000. Norden Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,238,000. Finally, SpiderRock Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter valued at approximately $297,000.

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.