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

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Investors acquired 1,297 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 1,563% compared to the typical daily volume of 78 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on GWRE. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $226.00 target price on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $199.00 to $247.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Bank of America upped their target price on Guidewire Software from $135.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Guidewire Software currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $248.31.

Guidewire Software Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE GWRE opened at $231.23 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.23, a current ratio of 3.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a market cap of $19.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 578.08, a P/E/G ratio of 20.43 and a beta of 1.16. Guidewire Software has a 52 week low of $132.01 and a 52 week high of $263.20. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $227.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.73.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 3rd. The technology company reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $293.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $286.40 million. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 6.96% and a net margin of 3.04%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 22.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other news, President John P. Mullen sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $235.05, for a total transaction of $705,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 146,489 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,432,239.45. This trade represents a 2.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael C. Keller sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.53, for a total transaction of $237,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 10,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,472,687.30. This represents a 8.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 18,860 shares of company stock worth $4,214,136 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Guidewire Software

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWRE. ANB Bank raised its holdings in Guidewire Software by 3.5% during the first quarter. ANB Bank now owns 1,590 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $298,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 38.3% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 224 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 40.0% during the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 238 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Guidewire Software by 16.4% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 569 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $107,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Guidewire Software by 2.2% during the first quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,678 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.