Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Buys New Shares in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired 13,693 shares of Qualys, Inc. for approximately $1.72 million during the first quarter, marking a significant investment in the security software firm.
• Qualys reported better-than-expected earnings with $1.67 EPS and revenue of $159.90 million, exceeding analysts' forecasts, and indicated a year-over-year revenue growth of 9.7%.
• Despite recent acquisitions, several analysts have decreased their price targets for Qualys, with a consensus target price now at $137.50 and an overall rating of "Hold" from various investment analysts.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 13,693 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,724,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Qualys by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,262,931 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $178,445,000 after purchasing an additional 16,369 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Qualys by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 954,583 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $133,852,000 after purchasing an additional 88,347 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Qualys by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 920,163 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $129,025,000 after purchasing an additional 38,880 shares during the last quarter. CDAM UK Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Qualys by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. CDAM UK Ltd now owns 611,793 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $85,786,000 after purchasing an additional 108,880 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of Qualys by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 571,016 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $80,068,000 after purchasing an additional 52,256 shares during the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Qualys Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ QLYS traded down $2.54 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $130.53. The stock had a trading volume of 319,748 shares, compared to its average volume of 332,344. The firm has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69 and a beta of 0.62. Qualys, Inc. has a twelve month low of $112.61 and a twelve month high of $170.00. The company's 50 day moving average price is $140.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.63.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The software maker reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $159.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $157.05 million. Qualys had a net margin of 29.19% and a return on equity of 38.05%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Qualys, Inc. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 541 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.11, for a total value of $75,799.51. Following the transaction, the insider owned 60,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,496,690.73. The trade was a 0.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.25, for a total transaction of $1,791,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 217,962 shares in the company, valued at $32,530,828.50. This trade represents a 5.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 46,598 shares of company stock worth $6,529,928 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.88% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on QLYS shares. 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Qualys from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Qualys from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their target price on shares of Qualys from $163.00 to $158.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Scotiabank set a $142.00 target price on shares of Qualys and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $137.50.

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.