NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Makes New Investment in Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE)

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new stake in Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,248 shares of the technology company's stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of GWRE. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,455,534 shares of the technology company's stock worth $1,425,434,000 after acquiring an additional 90,618 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Guidewire Software by 29.5% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,436,873 shares of the technology company's stock worth $747,968,000 after acquiring an additional 1,009,966 shares during the period. Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its stake in Guidewire Software by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 2,678,857 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $451,602,000 after acquiring an additional 205,382 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,407,778 shares of the technology company's stock worth $237,323,000 after purchasing an additional 291,774 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Guidewire Software by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,342,771 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $226,701,000 after purchasing an additional 12,697 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on GWRE. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $235.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $231.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JMP Securities boosted their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $281.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $240.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Guidewire Software news, insider James Winston King sold 1,051 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.41, for a total transaction of $199,069.91. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 44,613 shares in the company, valued at $8,450,148.33. The trade was a 2.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.04, for a total transaction of $238,056.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 269,130 shares in the company, valued at $45,762,865.20. This trade represents a 0.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 28,671 shares of company stock valued at $5,471,104 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Guidewire Software Trading Up 16.0%

NYSE:GWRE traded up $35.01 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $253.19. The company had a trading volume of 4,551,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 950,137. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.69 and a 52 week high of $263.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 2.66. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $201.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.70. The company has a market capitalization of $21.24 billion, a PE ratio of 703.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.18.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 3rd. The technology company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.41. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 2.38% and a net margin of 2.91%. The firm had revenue of $293.51 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $286.40 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 22.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.