Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Downgraded by StockNews.com to Hold

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Qualys in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $170.00 target price on the stock. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $190.00 price target on shares of Qualys in a report on Thursday, February 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Qualys from $146.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Qualys from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Wedbush cut their price target on shares of Qualys from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $153.23.

Qualys Stock Performance

Shares of QLYS stock traded up $0.97 on Friday, hitting $164.84. 315,392 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 475,823. Qualys has a one year low of $107.00 and a one year high of $206.35. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $169.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $174.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.80 and a beta of 0.51.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The software maker reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.26. Qualys had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 49.06%. The company had revenue of $144.57 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.69 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Qualys will post 3.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Qualys

In related news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 1,430 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.91, for a total transaction of $235,821.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,398,729.87. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 5,005 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.05, for a total transaction of $961,210.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 182,213 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $34,994,006.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 1,430 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.91, for a total transaction of $235,821.30. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,057 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,398,729.87. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,408 shares of company stock valued at $2,396,051. Company insiders own 1.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Qualys

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Qualys during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its stake in Qualys by 58.2% during the 1st quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 242 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Qualys by 218.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 210 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Qualys by 54.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 282 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortis Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Qualys by 3,000.0% during the 1st quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC now owns 341 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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