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

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

Guidewire Software Stock Down 0.9 %

GWRE traded down $1.85 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $194.58. 34,624 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 694,552. The company’s 50-day moving average is $181.81 and its 200 day moving average is $151.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.25 billion, a PE ratio of -2,452.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 50.59 and a beta of 1.18. Guidewire Software has a 52 week low of $94.97 and a 52 week high of $199.33.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 5th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.08. Guidewire Software had a negative net margin of 0.62% and a negative return on equity of 1.29%. The company had revenue of $291.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $283.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Guidewire Software will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on GWRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $146.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $180.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $168.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Friday, October 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.62.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total transaction of $201,190.50. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 137,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,539,463.63. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total value of $201,190.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 137,821 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,539,463.63. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider James Winston King sold 4,514 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.66, for a total transaction of $779,387.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 48,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,328,600.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,601 shares of company stock valued at $9,050,448. 0.48% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Guidewire Software

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWRE. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Guidewire Software in the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in Guidewire Software by 537.0% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 172 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. DT Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000.

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.