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

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

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

GWRE stock opened at $110.85 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $9.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -178.71 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 3.45 and a quick ratio of 3.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $114.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.17. Guidewire Software has a 1 year low of $68.45 and a 1 year high of $122.35.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 3.60% and a negative net margin of 5.48%. The business had revenue of $240.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $240.93 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Guidewire Software will post -0.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Guidewire Software

In related news, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.35, for a total transaction of $150,322.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 148,047 shares in the company, valued at $16,485,033.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, insider John P. Mullen sold 3,665 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.75, for a total value of $409,563.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 149,397 shares in the company, valued at $16,695,114.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.35, for a total value of $150,322.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 148,047 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,485,033.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,435 shares of company stock valued at $1,053,821. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in GWRE. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $1,131,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 13,163 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter valued at approximately $498,000. Norden Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,238,000. Finally, SpiderRock Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the first quarter valued at approximately $297,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.