Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Guidewire Software (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 represents an increase of 1,563% compared to the average volume of 78 call options.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 5,932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $1,014,727.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 281,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $48,192,733.80. This represents a 2.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, President John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of Guidewire Software stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.68, for a total transaction of $253,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 190,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,773,872.48. This trade represents a 0.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 23,347 shares of company stock worth $4,057,594. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWRE. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Guidewire Software in the second quarter worth $55,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $231.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Guidewire Software from $204.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Guidewire Software from $210.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Friday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.00.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Guidewire Software stock opened at $171.37 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.66, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $14.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 476.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 46.15 and a beta of 1.23. Guidewire Software has a 52 week low of $105.31 and a 52 week high of $209.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $185.18 and a 200-day moving average of $168.15.

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.