Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Has $102.43 Million Holdings in Guidewire Software, Inc. $GWRE

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC reduced its position in shares of Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE:GWRE) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 509,558 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 30,206 shares during the quarter. Guidewire Software comprises approximately 1.3% of Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Guidewire Software were worth $102,426,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Guidewire Software by 57.0% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,694 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $11,735,000 after buying an additional 18,774 shares during the last quarter. Scalar Gauge Management LLC bought a new stake in Guidewire Software in the third quarter worth $5,287,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its position in Guidewire Software by 901.1% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 9,110 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,094,000 after buying an additional 8,200 shares during the last quarter. BDF Gestion bought a new stake in Guidewire Software in the fourth quarter worth $1,803,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Guidewire Software by 3.4% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 520,390 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $119,617,000 after buying an additional 17,104 shares during the last quarter.

Guidewire Software Price Performance

Shares of GWRE stock opened at $130.22 on Friday. Guidewire Software, Inc. has a 1-year low of $115.57 and a 1-year high of $272.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $144.16 and its 200 day moving average is $169.59. The company has a market cap of $11.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.19 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 2.93 and a quick ratio of 2.93.

Guidewire Software (NYSE:GWRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 5th. The technology company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.40. Guidewire Software had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 14.11%.The company had revenue of $359.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $342.88 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Guidewire Software, Inc. will post 1.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on GWRE. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Guidewire Software in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded Guidewire Software from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Guidewire Software from $250.00 to $210.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. BTIG Research increased their target price on Guidewire Software from $175.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Guidewire Software from $300.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $249.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Guidewire Software news, CFO Jeffrey Elliott Cooper sold 1,935 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.86, for a total value of $317,069.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 66,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,824,755.46. This trade represents a 2.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO David Franklin Peterson sold 273 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.86, for a total value of $44,733.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 12,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,053,657.38. This represents a 2.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 32,479 shares of company stock worth $5,007,134 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.46% of the company’s stock.

Guidewire Software Profile

Guidewire Software, Inc develops software products and cloud services for property and casualty (P&C) insurance carriers. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, the company’s offerings are designed to help insurers manage the core functions of their business—policy administration, billing and claims—while supporting digital engagement, analytics and operational modernization.

Guidewire’s core product portfolio is commonly known as the InsuranceSuite, which includes PolicyCenter for policy administration, BillingCenter for billing and receivables, and ClaimCenter for claims management.