Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation, one has issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $147.83.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on QLYS shares. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Qualys from $116.00 to $115.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Qualys from $180.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Qualys from $165.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Qualys from $170.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualys

In other news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 1,339 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $143.35, for a total value of $191,945.65. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 58,947 shares in the company, valued at $8,450,052.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 1,339 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.35, for a total transaction of $191,945.65. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,947 shares in the company, valued at $8,450,052.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 634 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.75, for a total value of $91,771.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 90,745 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,135,338.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,205 shares of company stock valued at $1,444,369 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Qualys in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its holdings in Qualys by 545.2% during the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 200 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. DecisionPoint Financial LLC acquired a new position in Qualys in the first quarter valued at $34,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in Qualys by 294.7% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 225 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Qualys by 149.0% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 239 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.31% of the company’s stock.

Qualys Stock Performance

Qualys stock opened at $124.41 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $145.75. The company has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 28.80 and a beta of 0.46. Qualys has a fifty-two week low of $119.32 and a fifty-two week high of $206.35.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The software maker reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.20. Qualys had a return on equity of 44.80% and a net margin of 29.36%. The firm had revenue of $148.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $148.80 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Qualys’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Qualys will post 3.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Qualys Company Profile

Qualys, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides cloud-based platform delivering information technology (IT), security, and compliance solutions in the United States and internationally. It offers Qualys Cloud Apps, which include Cybersecurity Asset Management and External Attack Surface Management; Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response; Web Application Scanning; Patch Management; Custom Assessment and Remediation; Multi-Vector Endpoint Detection and Response; Context Extended Detection and Response; Policy Compliance; File Integrity Monitoring; and Qualys TotalCloud, as well as Cloud Workload Protection, Cloud Detection and Response, Cloud Security Posture Management, Infrastructure as Code, and Container Security.