Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Short Interest Up 7.1% in October

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,820,000 shares, a growth of 7.1% from the September 30th total of 1,700,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 852,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days. Approximately 2.2% of the company's shares are sold short.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Guidewire Software stock traded down $0.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $186.01. 649,129 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 696,319. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $173.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.71. The stock has a market cap of $15.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2,325.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 49.03 and a beta of 1.19. Guidewire Software has a one year low of $89.08 and a one year high of $191.48.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 5th. The technology company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $291.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $283.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Guidewire Software will post 0.53 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on GWRE. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, October 11th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $204.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Guidewire Software from $123.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. JMP Securities lifted 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Guidewire Software has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Guidewire Software news, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total value of $201,190.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 137,821 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,539,463.63. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider John P. Mullen sold 1,350 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.03, for a total transaction 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 $20,539,463.63. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider John P. Mullen sold 6,718 shares of the 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 $1,156,570.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 160,099 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,562,643.84. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 52,601 shares of company stock valued at $9,050,448 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Guidewire Software during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in Guidewire Software during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Guidewire Software by 537.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 172 shares of the technology company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in Guidewire Software in the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Guidewire Software during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000.

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.