Short Interest in Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Increases By 33.0%

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 1,749,649 shares, an increase of 33.0% from the December 31st total of 1,315,755 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,354,480 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Approximately 2.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,354,480 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citizens Jmp reissued a “market outperform” rating and issued a $281.00 price objective on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Guidewire Software from $275.00 to $250.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $242.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. 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. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Guidewire Software from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Guidewire Software

In related news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 6,015 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total transaction of $1,155,361.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 240,743 shares in the company, valued at $46,241,915.44. The trade was a 2.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, President John P. Mullen sold 7,975 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.08, for a total transaction of $1,531,838.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 141,983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,272,094.64. The trade was a 5.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 48,358 shares of company stock valued at $9,409,729. 0.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Guidewire Software

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

Guidewire Software Trading Down 7.0%

Shares of NYSE:GWRE opened at $129.21 on Wednesday. Guidewire Software has a 1 year low of $124.47 and a 1 year high of $272.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 123.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.05 and a beta of 1.06. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $186.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.23.

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

Guidewire Software declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Thursday, January 8th that permits the company to buyback $500.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits 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 of directors 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.