Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) vs Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
Selected Stocks
Add up to 10 tickers. Use presets or search to get started.
Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | GWRE | 22.6% revenue growth vs MKTW's -8.8% |
| Value | MKTW | Lower P/E (3.9x vs 49.3x) |
| Quality / Margins | GWRE | 7.2% net margin vs MKTW's 1.7% |
| Stability / Safety | MKTW | Beta 0.70 vs GWRE's 0.88 |
| Dividends | MKTW | 5.5% yield; GWRE pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | MKTW | +25.8% vs GWRE's -27.8% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | GWRE | 3.5% ROA vs MKTW's 2.9% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
MarketWise operates a multi-brand subscription platform that provides financial research, software, and educational tools for individual investors. It generates revenue primarily through subscription fees for its various investment research services and analytical software tools. The company's competitive advantage lies in its portfolio of established financial research brands and its large subscriber base of nearly 1 million paid users.
Guidewire Software is a provider of core software systems for property and casualty insurers worldwide. It generates revenue primarily through software licenses, cloud subscriptions, and implementation services — with its InsuranceSuite platform being the main offering. The company's moat comes from deep industry-specific expertise, high switching costs for insurers, and a comprehensive product ecosystem that creates vendor lock-in.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
MKTW leads in 3 of 6 categories (Valuation Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). GWRE leads in 2 (Financial Metrics, Total Returns).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
GWRE is the larger business by revenue, generating $1.3B annually — 3.7x MKTW's $342M. GWRE is the more profitable business, keeping 7.2% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to MKTW's 1.7%. On growth, GWRE holds the edge at +26.5% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | MKTWMarketWise, Inc. | GWREGuidewire Softwar… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $342M | $1.3B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $76M | $89M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $6M | $92M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $27M | $286M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +87.0% | +63.1% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +21.5% | +5.1% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +1.7% | +7.2% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +8.0% | +22.5% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -16.4% | +26.5% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -33.3% | +2.3% |
Valuation Metrics
At 3.9x trailing earnings, MKTW trades at a 98% valuation discount to GWRE's 179.4x P/E. On an enterprise value basis, MKTW's 1.1x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than GWRE's 189.7x.
| Metric | MKTWMarketWise, Inc. | GWREGuidewire Softwar… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $191M | $12.3B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $97M | $12.3B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 3.93x | 179.41x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 49.27x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 1.06x | 189.75x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 0.47x | 10.22x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 8.57x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | — | 41.62x |
Profitability & Efficiency
On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), GWRE scores 7/9 vs MKTW's 4/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | MKTWMarketWise, Inc. | GWREGuidewire Softwar… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | — | +6.0% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +2.9% | +3.5% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | — | +2.3% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +8.1% | +2.3% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 4 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.49x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$94M | $17M |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $98M | $699M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $4M | $716M |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | 5.92x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in GWRE five years ago would be worth $12,565 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $959 for MKTW. Over the past 12 months, MKTW leads with a +25.8% total return vs GWRE's -27.8%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors GWRE at 27.4% vs MKTW's -19.8% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | MKTWMarketWise, Inc. | GWREGuidewire Softwar… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -6.8% | -22.5% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +25.8% | -27.8% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -48.4% | +107.0% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -90.4% | +25.7% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -89.7% | +195.2% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -19.8% | +27.4% |
Risk & Volatility
MKTW is the less volatile stock with a 0.70 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than GWRE's 0.88 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. MKTW currently trades 64.5% from its 52-week high vs GWRE's 53.3% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | MKTWMarketWise, Inc. | GWREGuidewire Softwar… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.70x | 0.88x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $21.74 | $272.60 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $9.07 | $120.75 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +64.5% | +53.3% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 44.5 | 52.5 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 11K | 1.3M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates MKTW as "Hold" and GWRE as "Buy". Consensus price targets imply 74.4% upside for GWRE (target: $254) vs -75.0% for MKTW (target: $4). MKTW is the only dividend payer here at 5.45% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | MKTWMarketWise, Inc. | GWREGuidewire Softwar… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $3.50 | $253.50 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 7 | 26 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +5.5% | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | — |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $0.76 | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +5.7% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Sep 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) | 100 | 8.41 | -91.6% |
| Guidewire Software,… (GWRE) | 100 | 130.43 | +30.4% |
Guidewire Software,… (GWRE) returned +26% over 5 years vs MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW)'s -90%. A $10,000 investment in GWRE 5 years ago would be worth $12,565 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) | $272M | $409M | +50.1% |
| Guidewire Software,… (GWRE) | $424M | $1.2B | +183.3% |
Guidewire Software, Inc.'s revenue grew from $424M (2016) to $1.2B (2025) — a 12.3% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) | 10.3% | 1.7% | -83.2% |
| Guidewire Software,… (GWRE) | 3.5% | 5.8% | +64.5% |
Guidewire Software, Inc.'s net margin went from 4% (2016) to 6% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 6 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) | 2.3 | 3.2 | +39.1% |
| Guidewire Software,… (GWRE) | 309.4 | 248.2 | -19.8% |
MarketWise, Inc. has traded in a 2x–55x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~4x. Guidewire Software, Inc. has traded in a 248x–439x P/E range over 3 years; current trailing P/E is ~179x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) | 10.8 | 3.57 | -66.9% |
| Guidewire Software,… (GWRE) | 0.2 | 0.81 | +305.0% |
Guidewire Software, Inc.'s EPS grew from $0.20 (2016) to $0.81 (2025) — a 17% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
MarketWise, Inc. generated $-23M FCF in 2024 (-137% vs 2021). Guidewire Software, Inc. generated $295M FCF in 2025 (+257% vs 2021).
MKTW vs GWRE: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is MKTW or GWRE a better buy right now?
MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) offers the better valuation at 3.9x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE) a "Buy" — based on 26 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — MKTW or GWRE?
On trailing P/E, MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) is the cheapest at 3.9x versus Guidewire Software, Inc. at 179.4x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — MKTW or GWRE?
Over the past 5 years, Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE) delivered a total return of +25.7%, compared to -90.4% for MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW). A $10,000 investment in GWRE five years ago would be worth approximately $13K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: GWRE returned +195.2% versus MKTW's -89.7%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — MKTW or GWRE?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) is the lower-risk stock at 0.70β versus Guidewire Software, Inc.'s 0.88β — meaning GWRE is approximately 26% more volatile than MKTW relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — MKTW or GWRE?
Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE) is the more profitable company, earning 5.8% net margin versus 1.7% for MarketWise, Inc. — meaning it keeps 5.8% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: MKTW leads at 21.8% versus 3.4% for GWRE. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — MKTW leads at 87.6%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Is MKTW or GWRE more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for GWRE: 74.4% to $253.50.
07Which pays a better dividend — MKTW or GWRE?
In this comparison, MKTW (5.5% yield) pays a dividend. GWRE does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
08Is MKTW or GWRE better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, MarketWise, Inc. (MKTW) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.70), 5.5% yield). Both have compounded well over 10 years (MKTW: -89.7%, GWRE: +195.2%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
09What are the main differences between MKTW and GWRE?
Both stocks operate in the Technology sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: MKTW is a small-cap deep-value stock; GWRE is a mid-cap quality compounder stock. MKTW pays a dividend while GWRE does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
Find Stocks Like These
Explore pre-built screens for each stock's profile, or build a custom screen to find stocks that beat both.