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

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 1,297 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,563% compared to the typical daily volume of 78 call options.

Insider Activity at Guidewire Software

In related news, insider James Winston King sold 794 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.43, for a total transaction of $138,497.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 45,934 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,012,267.62. This trade represents a 1.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 5,932 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $171.06, for a total value of $1,014,727.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 281,730 shares in the company, valued at $48,192,733.80. This trade represents a 2.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,347 shares of company stock worth $4,057,594 over the last ninety days. 0.48% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Guidewire Software

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GWRE. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Guidewire Software by 4.0% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,050 shares of the technology company's stock worth $283,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Guidewire Software during the 2nd quarter valued at about $245,000. Whittier Trust Co. raised its position in Guidewire Software by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 54,722 shares of the technology company's stock worth $7,545,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Guidewire Software by 4.0% in the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 27,600 shares of the technology company's stock worth $3,806,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Guidewire Software by 5.1% during the second quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 20,163 shares of the technology company's stock valued at $2,780,000 after buying an additional 970 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on GWRE. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Guidewire Software from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Guidewire Software from $215.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $210.00 target price on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Guidewire Software from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $193.00.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

Shares of GWRE traded down $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $174.39. 382,138 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 748,766. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a current ratio of 2.66. The company has a market cap of $14.56 billion, a PE ratio of 484.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 45.60 and a beta of 1.18. Guidewire Software has a 52-week low of $102.66 and a 52-week high of $209.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $188.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $165.72.

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.