Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP decreased its stake in shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Free Report) by 8.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 158,753 shares of the technology company's stock after selling 14,434 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.19% of Guidewire Software worth $26,762,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in GWRE. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 649.4% in the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 14,650 shares of the technology company's stock worth $2,680,000 after buying an additional 12,695 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $125,000. American Trust lifted its stake in shares of Guidewire Software by 55.1% in the 3rd quarter. American Trust now owns 2,898 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Westwind Capital grew its position in Guidewire Software by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Westwind Capital now owns 76,551 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $12,905,000 after buying an additional 1,306 shares during the period.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other Guidewire Software news, insider James Winston King sold 1,051 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.41, for a total transaction of $199,069.91. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 44,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,450,148.33. This trade represents a 2.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 1,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.42, for a total value of $291,788.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 276,130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,551,014.60. This trade represents a 0.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 35,371 shares of company stock valued at $6,856,503. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Guidewire Software from $228.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $206.08.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

Shares of Guidewire Software stock traded up $2.35 on Monday, hitting $199.79. 682,953 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 913,756. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 554.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $190.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $190.36. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 1-year low of $107.65 and a 1-year high of $219.59. The company has a quick ratio of 2.66, a current ratio of 2.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The technology company reported $0.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by ($0.44). The company had revenue of $289.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $285.74 million. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 2.38% and a net margin of 2.91%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.