We have also posted this quarter's earnings deck on the IR section of the site. Statements today include forward-looking ones regarding our financial results, products, customer demand, operations, the impact of local, national, and geopolitical events on our business, and other matters. Reconciliations and additional data are also posted at the end of our quarterly earnings deck on our IR website. The quarter was highlighted by 11 cloud wins, strong progression in key pipeline deals, and growing customer interest in PricingCenter and our AI platform tooling and ProNavigator offerings.

From a financial perspective, revenue, profitability, and cash flow all finished ahead of expectations, continuing to demonstrate the strength and durability of our model. ARR in Q3 came in within our guidance range, growing 19% year-over-year, and fully ramped ARR continues to grow faster than ARR. The bookings results in the quarter were solid, 19% ARR growth is a great achievement. This carrier is investing in Guidewire to support long-term growth while incorporating greater AI-driven capabilities into its operations.

Our platform manages the core systems of record for policy, billing, and claims, and we continue to expand that foundation into critical business functions like pricing and underwriting through a continuously improving cloud platform. Fully ramped ARR growth rates continue to outpace ARR growth, which is a strong indication into the growth environment we are experiencing. Total revenue was $373 million, up 27% year-over-year, above the high end of our outlook. Subscription and support revenue finished Q3 at $245 million, reflecting 35% year-over-year growth.

What went well
  • Guidewire delivered a strong Q3 with revenue, profitability, and cash flow all finishing ahead of expectations.
  • Total revenue grew 27% year-over-year to $373 million, with subscription and support revenue up 35% to $245 million and services revenue up 32% to $72 million.
  • ARR reached $1.147 billion, up over 19% year-over-year, and fully ramped ARR continued to grow faster than ARR.
  • The company closed 11 cloud deals, including two net-new core system wins and five ProNavigator deals, with notable transactions including a seven-year extension and expansion with Auto Club of Southern California, a net-new win with Bradesco Seguros in Brazil, and PricingCenter wins in Sweden, Poland, and the first U.S.
  • win at Oklahoma Farm Bureau.
  • Non-GAAP operating profit was $78 million with subscription and support gross margin of 74%, and operating cash flow was $61 million.
  • Management cited a productivity tsunami from connecting AI tools (including Claude Code) and MCP servers to the platform, with about 35% improvement in on-prem-to-cloud migration timelines, and the company repurchased 1.7 million shares at an average price of $147.07.
What went wrong
  • ARR of $1.147 billion came in within (rather than above) the guidance range as management had anticipated a couple more deals closing in the quarter that slipped due to timing not aligning with quarterly boundaries.
  • Operating expenses benefited partly from slower-than-planned hiring, with some heads taking longer to bring in the door.
  • Services gross margin of 14% was partially constrained by higher subcontractor expenses needed to ensure sufficient capacity for demand.

Guidance Changes

MetricPeriodCurrent guidance
ARRFY2026$1.229B-$1.237B (18%-19% growth) (Maintained)
Total revenueFY2026$1.46B-$1.47B (midpoint ~22% growth) (Raised)
Subscription and support revenueFY2026$963M-$969M (Raised ~$20M)
Services revenueFY2026Approximately $270 million (Raised)
Non-GAAP operating incomeFY2026$314M-$324M (Raised)
GAAP operating incomeFY2026$124M-$134M (Raised)
Cash flow from operationsFY2026$365M-$380M (Raised)
Overall gross marginFY2026Approximately 67% (Maintained)

Performance Breakdown

MetricYoYNote
Total revenue +27% (to $373 million) Healthy cloud demand plus strong services demand and execution; above the high end of outlook
Subscription and support revenue +35% (to $245 million) Continued cloud platform scalability and adoption
Services revenue +32% (to $72 million) Strong demand for Guidewire-led services programs and field engineering activities
ARR +19% (to $1.147 billion) Solid bookings despite a few deals slipping on timing; fully ramped ARR growing faster than ARR
Subscription and support gross margin 74% vs 71% a year ago Scalability of the cloud platform

Earnings Call Themes & Trends

TopicPrevious mentionCurrent periodTrend
Deal timing / slipped dealsA couple of deals slipped from Q3 on timing; not macro or AI-related; strong pipeline into Q4
New products (ProNavigator, PricingCenter)Objective this year to establish these product linesSurpassed expectations; five ProNavigator and three PricingCenter wins, shorter sales cycles than core modernizationAccelerating
AI / agentic development toolingClaude Code and MCP servers connected to the platform driving major productivity gains; ~35% faster migrationsExpanding
Fully ramped ARR vs ARRFully ramped ARR growth of 22% last yearContinues to outpace ARR growth; expected to hold or exceed prior levels for FY2026Strengthening
Core system modernization demandInsurers aligning around Guidewire as long-term core platform partner; AI raising the bar to modernizeStrengthening
Leadership transitionCCO David Laker moving to strategic partners role; Shane Cassidy joining as CCO after Q4

Q&A Summary

What drove the ARR deal timing this quarter and will it impact Q4?
Management attributed it to the small number of large discrete deals where timing sometimes falls on the wrong side of quarterly boundaries, calling 19% ARR growth a solid result. Pipeline and demand are building, and combined with strong visibility into ARR backlog flowing out in Q4, they expect a very strong, potentially record Q4.
When will ProNavigator, PricingCenter, and UnderwritingCenter materially benefit ARR growth?
These products are building as a share of the overall portfolio and strengthen the integrated suite message; as they grow faster than the overall book they will become a more meaningful part of bookings, with management pleased by the momentum created in a short time.
What is the integration posture with major LLM vendors, and build versus partner?
Guidewire built a development harness so agentic tools like Claude Code work effectively with its stack, and embeds LLMs inside products like ProNavigator. Management views it as a partnership, will remain open to LLMs and other application providers, and is confident the industry will run on a modern relational database like Guidewire.
Is there an AI crowding-out effect on deals or budgets?
Management hears the narrative but not from customers; insurers recognize AI's profound potential in development, underwriting, and claims, which so overwhelms the cost comparison that a modern core system becomes a competitive necessity, creating a tailwind rather than a headwind.
Can you quantify the productivity gains and migration acceleration?
John Mullen cited roughly 35% improvement in on-prem-to-cloud migration and increasingly on net-new deals, with that pace expected to hold until reaching about 55%, after which continued cost savings accrue but with less duration savings due to change-management gestation.
How are you thinking about monetization and guardrails for embedded gen AI?
Guidewire prices products as a percentage of direct written premium to align to insurance value, intends basis-points-based pricing for LLM-embedded products like ProNavigator that includes necessary tokens, and will build technical and contractual guardrails to protect unit economics.

More on Guidewire Software, Inc.

Reported 2026-06-04 · figures from the Guidewire Software, Inc. Q3 2026 earnings call.

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