Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Short Interest Down 13.7% in February

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,200,000 shares, a decline of 13.7% from the February 13th total of 3,710,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,330,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Currently, 3.8% of the company's stock are sold short.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GWRE traded down $1.62 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $191.84. 1,448,052 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 868,648. The company's 50-day moving average price is $197.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.41. Guidewire Software has a 1-year low of $107.00 and a 1-year high of $219.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 532.89, a PEG ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 2.66.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $289.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $285.74 million. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 2.38% and a net margin of 2.91%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Guidewire Software will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Insider Activity

In other news, President John P. Mullen sold 6,116 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.41, for a total transaction of $1,158,431.56. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 166,330 shares in the company, valued at $31,504,565.30. The trade was a 3.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider James Winston King sold 270 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.78, for a total value of $47,190.60. Following the sale, the insider now owns 45,664 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,981,153.92. This represents a 0.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,780 shares of company stock worth $6,886,553. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Guidewire Software

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of GWRE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 44,185 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $7,449,000 after buying an additional 1,282 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new position in Guidewire Software in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,827,000. Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 1,455 shares of the technology company's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,172,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWRE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Guidewire Software from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Guidewire Software from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Guidewire Software from $228.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note 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, Oppenheimer raised their target price on Guidewire Software from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.08.

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.