Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $249.8462.

Several brokerages have commented on GWRE. Citizens Jmp reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $281.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 6th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $300.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 4,737 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.86, for a total value of $776,204.82. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 221,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,246,815.16. This trade represents a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 4,757 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.72, for a total transaction of $755,031.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 67,996 shares in the company, valued at $10,792,325.12. This trade represents a 6.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 31,695 shares of company stock valued at $5,106,836 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GWRE. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in Guidewire Software by 620.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:GWRE opened at $144.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.76, a P/E/G ratio of 6.86 and a beta of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average of $146.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $194.11. Guidewire Software has a fifty-two week low of $120.37 and a fifty-two week high of $272.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 2.93 and a quick ratio of 2.93.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The technology company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.40. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 14.11%.The business had revenue of $359.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $342.88 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Guidewire Software announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, January 8th that allows the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to reacquire up to 3.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About Guidewire Software

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.