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

Shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have issued a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $137.50.

QLYS has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Qualys from $120.00 to $90.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Qualys from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Wedbush decreased their target price on shares of Qualys from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Qualys from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on Qualys from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Qualys Price Performance

NASDAQ QLYS opened at $140.38 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $133.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $134.72. Qualys has a 1-year low of $112.61 and a 1-year high of $170.00.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The software maker reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $159.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.05 million. Qualys had a return on equity of 38.05% and a net margin of 29.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Qualys will post 3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Qualys

In related news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 525 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.85, for a total value of $72,371.25. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 61,709 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,506,585.65. This trade represents a 0.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 1,358 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.87, for a total value of $169,573.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 105,740 shares in the company, valued at $13,203,753.80. This trade represents a 1.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,630 shares of company stock worth $4,461,516. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of QLYS. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Qualys by 96.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 688,776 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $85,394,000 after purchasing an additional 338,702 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Qualys by 92.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 643,238 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $81,003,000 after buying an additional 308,635 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Qualys during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,086,000. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Qualys by 53.3% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 499,084 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $62,849,000 after buying an additional 173,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Qualys by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,312,662 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $604,721,000 after buying an additional 131,339 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.31% of the company’s stock.

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.