Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $221.00 and last traded at $215.63, with a volume of 2898 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $213.57.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Guidewire Software from $228.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Guidewire Software presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $206.08.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $192.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $192.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 2.66 and a current ratio of 2.66. The stock has a market cap of $17.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 595.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.18.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The technology company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.52 by ($0.44). Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 2.38% and a net margin of 2.91%. The firm had revenue of $289.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.74 million. Analysts forecast that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, Director Michael C. Keller sold 1,848 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.03, for a total value of $341,935.44. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,270,318.10. This trade represents a 13.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 1,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.42, for a total transaction of $297,388.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 273,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $58,060,758.60. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,371 shares of company stock valued at $6,207,005. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ANB Bank boosted its stake in Guidewire Software by 3.5% during the first quarter. ANB Bank now owns 1,590 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $298,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 595 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $100,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. increased its holdings in Guidewire Software by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. now owns 539 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $91,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC increased its holdings in Guidewire Software by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $208,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 38.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 224 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter.

Guidewire Software Company Profile

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.