Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE)

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors bought 1,297 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,563% compared to the average daily volume of 78 call options.

Guidewire Software Stock Down 0.6 %

GWRE traded down $1.17 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $195.26. 614,889 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 697,183. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -2,440.44, a P/E/G ratio of 50.59 and a beta of 1.18. Guidewire Software has a 1-year low of $94.97 and a 1-year high of $199.33. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $182.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.38.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 5th. The technology company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.08. Guidewire Software had a negative return on equity of 1.29% and a negative net margin of 0.62%. The firm had revenue of $291.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $283.84 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.30 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Guidewire Software will post 0.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In other news, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 10,334 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.16, for a total value of $1,779,101.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 83,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,352,462.72. This trade represents a 11.03 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total value of $201,190.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 137,821 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,539,463.63. The trade was a 0.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 52,601 shares of company stock valued at $9,050,448. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Guidewire Software

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWRE. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Guidewire Software by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 9,693 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $1,131,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the 1st quarter worth approximately $417,000. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings in Guidewire Software by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 153,600 shares of the technology company's stock worth $17,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Guidewire Software by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,486 shares of the technology company's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its holdings in Guidewire Software by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 96,324 shares of the technology company's stock worth $11,242,000 after purchasing an additional 4,330 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GWRE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Guidewire Software from $180.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. JMP Securities increased their target price on Guidewire Software from $179.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Guidewire Software from $170.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Guidewire Software from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.62.

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.