Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.910-1.980 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 1.800. The company issued revenue guidance of $185.5 million-$187.5 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $182.6 million. Qualys also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 7.740-7.880 EPS.

Qualys Stock Up 4.0%

QLYS stock traded up $6.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.06. 1,043,207 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 766,003. Qualys has a twelve month low of $74.51 and a twelve month high of $167.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.92 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $129.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.80.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $182.18 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.57 million. Qualys had a net margin of 29.41% and a return on equity of 37.15%. Qualys’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.68 earnings per share. Qualys has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.740-7.880 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Qualys will post 5.47 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $96.00 price target on shares of Qualys in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Qualys from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Qualys from $85.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Qualys in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Scotiabank raised Qualys from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.53.

Insider Transactions at Qualys

In other news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 30,000 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $4,050,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 196,686 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,552,610. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 1,627 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.04, for a total value of $248,996.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 75,743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,591,708.72. This represents a 2.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 76,855 shares of company stock valued at $9,706,670 in the last ninety days. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Qualys News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualys this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations. Qualys reported revenue of $182.2 million, up 11% year over year and above the $178.6 million consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $1.98 surpassed analyst expectations of $1.78, while adjusted EBITDA reached $83.8 million. Qualys Announces Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised full-year guidance. Qualys now expects 2026 revenue of $732 million to $738 million, up from its prior range of $721 million to $727 million. The company also increased GAAP and non-GAAP earnings guidance, with its new EPS range of $7.74 to $7.88 above the $7.16 consensus estimate. Qualys Jumps After Strong Q2 Results and Higher 2026 Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance also topped estimates. Qualys forecast revenue of $185.5 million to $187.5 million and EPS of $1.91 to $1.98, both ahead of Wall Street expectations. Management cited AI-related security offerings, Risk Operations Center adoption, federal demand, partner execution and early QFlex engagement as growth drivers. Qualys Q2 2026 Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: New product launches support the growth narrative. Qualys recently introduced InstaScan, an AI-powered capability designed to identify vulnerabilities shortly after disclosure by using existing asset and threat telemetry. Qualys Launches InstaScan
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and cautious coverage remain risks. Quiver Quantitative reported no insider purchases and 54 insider sales over the past six months. JPMorgan has an Underweight rating, while the median reported analyst price target is $125, below recent trading levels, although targets range as high as $190. Qualys Insider and Analyst Activity

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Qualys by 3,948.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,024 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,974 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Qualys in the 2nd quarter valued at $292,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Qualys by 3,218.8% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 531 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Qualys by 482.0% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 646 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 535 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in Qualys by 47.1% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 21,365 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $3,076,000 after acquiring an additional 6,844 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.