BDF Gestion Invests $1.80 Million in Guidewire Software, Inc. $GWRE

BDF Gestion bought a new stake in Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 8,969 shares of the technology company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,803,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in Guidewire Software by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,104 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Earned Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 989 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 624 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $145,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc boosted its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 911 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $209,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Trust grew its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 3.9% in the third quarter. American Trust now owns 1,632 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $375,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In related news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 4,737 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.86, for a total transaction of $776,204.82. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 221,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,246,815.16. This represents a 2.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President John P. Mullen sold 6,576 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.86, for a total transaction of $1,077,543.36. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 135,407 shares in the company, valued at $22,187,791.02. This represents a 4.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 30,495 shares of company stock valued at $4,920,164. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Shares of GWRE opened at $156.69 on Tuesday. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 52-week low of $120.37 and a 52-week high of $272.60. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 2.93 and a current ratio of 2.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.05 and a beta of 1.05.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 5th. The technology company reported $1.17 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $342.88 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.51 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 0.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on GWRE shares. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $246.00 price target on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $281.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Guidewire Software from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $249.85.

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.