Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) Earns Buy Rating from BTIG Research

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by analysts at BTIG Research in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $250.00 target price on the technology company’s stock. BTIG Research’s price target points to a potential upside of 54.26% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on GWRE. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $242.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. DA Davidson upgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $246.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Guidewire Software from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Thursday. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $269.50.

Guidewire Software Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:GWRE opened at $162.07 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $194.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $217.38. Guidewire Software has a 1 year low of $154.51 and a 1 year high of $272.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 3.48 and a quick ratio of 3.48. The company has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.35, a P/E/G ratio of 10.42 and a beta of 1.08.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 3rd. The technology company reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 10.15% and a net margin of 7.23%.The firm had revenue of $332.64 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $316.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, President John P. Mullen sold 7,975 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total value of $1,531,838.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 141,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,272,094.64. This trade represents a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider James Winston King sold 1,860 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total value of $362,700.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 33,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,571,890. This trade represents a 5.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 51,558 shares of company stock worth $10,261,857 in the last 90 days. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in Guidewire Software in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Guidewire Software during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Guidewire Software during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000.

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.