JPMorgan Chase & Co. Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Stock Price

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $113.00 to $87.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “underweight” rating on the software maker’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price points to a potential downside of 8.39% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Qualys from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Wedbush reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Qualys in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Qualys from $135.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, William Blair lowered Qualys from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $122.14.

Qualys Stock Up 4.5%

NASDAQ QLYS opened at $94.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $90.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.56. Qualys has a twelve month low of $74.51 and a twelve month high of $155.47.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The software maker reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $175.64 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $173.63 million. Qualys had a return on equity of 37.15% and a net margin of 29.41%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.67 earnings per share. Qualys has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.440-7.650 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 1.730-1.800 EPS. Research analysts expect that Qualys will post 5.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualys

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QLYS. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Qualys by 206.2% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 297 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Strive Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Qualys in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Qualys by 204.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 213 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Qualys during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in Qualys by 451.0% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 270 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares during the period. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Qualys News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualys this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS topped estimates (reported $1.95 vs. $1.81 consensus, ~6.2% beat) and revenue slightly beat expectations; management raised its FY outlook, supporting near‑term fundamentals. Qualys, Inc. Just Recorded A 6.2% EPS Beat: Here’s What Analysts Are Forecasting Next
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and reporters point to channel strength and uptake of ETM/CSAM products as the driver of the beat and the reason management could lift 2026 revenue and profit outlook. This helps near‑term revenue quality. Qualys Q1 Earnings Beat Estimates on Channel Strength and ETM Uptake
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualys’ AI risk initiatives and a Converge tie‑up are getting attention; analysts are debating whether these catalysts justify higher multiples, so impact on valuation is uncertain. Qualys AI Risk Push And Converge Tie Up Spark Valuation Debate
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings and call transcripts are available for detail on product adoption, sales cadence and guidance nuance — useful for investors assessing sustainability of the beat. Qualys, Inc. (QLYS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts maintained Hold/Neutral ratings citing modest guidance lift and gradual expansion that may limit near‑term upside—keeps sentiment mixed. Analyst Maintains Hold on Qualys as Modest Guidance Lift and Gradual Expansion Limit Near-Term Upside
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan cut its price target to $87 and moved to an Underweight rating — a clear negative signal that could pressure sentiment if other shops follow. Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Given New $87.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Negative Sentiment: Wedbush also lowered its target (from $155 to $125) despite keeping an Outperform rating — a downgrade in expectations that tempers the stock’s valuation premium. Benzinga: Wedbush Lowers Qualys Price Target

About Qualys

Qualys, Inc (NASDAQ: QLYS) is a leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions designed to help organizations streamline their IT security programs. Operating on a unified, modular platform, Qualys offers continuous visibility into global IT assets through a combination of lightweight cloud agents and on-premises scanner appliances. The platform supports an array of security and compliance use cases, enabling real-time detection of vulnerabilities, policy violations and misconfigurations across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments.

The company’s flagship Qualys Cloud Platform delivers a suite of integrated applications, including vulnerability management, detection and response (VMDR), policy compliance, web application scanning, file integrity monitoring, asset inventory and container security.