Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) Position Boosted by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) by 98.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 7,504 shares of the technology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,723 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Guidewire Software were worth $1,265,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ossiam bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Guidewire Software by 101.0% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 197 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Tobam bought a new stake in Guidewire Software during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at Guidewire Software

In other news, CEO Michael George Rosenbaum sold 1,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.42, for a total transaction of $297,388.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 273,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,060,758.60. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, President John P. Mullen sold 2,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.13, for a total value of $467,199.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 172,446 shares in the company, valued at $35,028,955.98. The trade was a 1.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,371 shares of company stock worth $6,207,005. Insiders own 0.48% of the company’s stock.

Guidewire Software Stock Performance

Guidewire Software stock opened at $214.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.66 and a quick ratio of 2.66. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $192.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $192.04. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 52-week low of $107.65 and a 52-week high of $219.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 595.83, a P/E/G ratio of 37.21 and a beta of 1.18.

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

Guidewire Software 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.