Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Receives $269.50 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $269.50.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on GWRE. Citigroup increased their price objective on Guidewire Software from $242.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen cut Guidewire Software from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Citizens Jmp restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $281.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Wednesday, December 10th.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 216 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.87, for a total transaction of $39,067.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 72,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,158,835.11. This trade represents a 0.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider James Winston King sold 1,860 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total transaction of $362,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 33,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,571,890. The trade was a 5.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 47,158 shares of company stock valued at $9,241,717 over the last ninety days. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Guidewire Software in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the third quarter worth $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the second quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Guidewire Software during the second quarter worth $32,000.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

Shares of Guidewire Software stock opened at $140.34 on Friday. Guidewire Software has a 52 week low of $140.25 and a 52 week high of $272.60. The company has a current ratio of 3.48, a quick ratio of 3.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a PE ratio of 133.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.17 and a beta of 1.06. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $189.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $215.46.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The technology company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $332.64 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.62 million. Guidewire Software had a net margin of 7.23% and a return on equity of 10.15%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Guidewire Software declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 8th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to purchase up to 3.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Guidewire Software Company Profile

Guidewire Software, Inc develops software products and cloud services for property and casualty (P&C) insurance carriers. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, the company’s offerings are designed to help insurers manage the core functions of their business—policy administration, billing and claims—while supporting digital engagement, analytics and operational modernization.

Guidewire’s core product portfolio is commonly known as the InsuranceSuite, which includes PolicyCenter for policy administration, BillingCenter for billing and receivables, and ClaimCenter for claims management.