Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Qualys shares reached a new 52-week high of $231.09, trading near $229.63 and giving the company a market capitalization of approximately $7.76 billion.
• Recent quarterly results exceeded expectations: Qualys reported $1.98 in EPS versus the $1.78 consensus estimate, while revenue of $182.18 million increased 11.1% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $183.62, well below the current share price. Insiders sold 10,640 shares worth approximately $1.88 million during the past quarter.

Shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $231.09 and last traded at $229.6340, with a volume of 76,712 shares. The stock had previously closed at $227.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on QLYS shares. Zacks Research raised Qualys from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Robert W. Baird set a $160.00 target price on shares of Qualys in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Qualys from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Qualys in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Yorkville Ives began coverage on shares of Qualys in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Qualys presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $183.62.

Qualys Trading Down 1.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.83 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $185.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $133.57.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $182.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $178.57 million. The company's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.68 EPS. Qualys has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.740-7.880 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS. Analysts predict that Qualys, Inc. will post 5.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Qualys

In other Qualys news, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 1,627 shares of the company'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 transaction of $248,996.08. Following the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Bruce Posey sold 881 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.52, for a total value of $166,967.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 57,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,955,582.64. This represents a 1.50% decrease in their position. 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 have sold a total of 10,640 shares of company stock valued at $1,884,257 over the last quarter. 0.72% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. grew its holdings in Qualys by 4.9% in the third quarter. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,114 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Smith Group Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Qualys by 1.7% in the third quarter. Smith Group Asset Management LLC now owns 6,396 shares of the software maker's stock worth $1,197,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Qualys by 25.8% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 527 shares of the software maker's stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Qualys by 0.8% in the second quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 13,501 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Qualys by 40.5% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 472 shares of the software maker's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Qualys

Qualys, Inc is a cloud-based cybersecurity company that helps organizations identify, assess and manage security risks across information technology environments. Its platform is designed to provide visibility into assets, vulnerabilities, configurations and compliance requirements across on-premises infrastructure, endpoints, networks, applications and cloud environments.

The company's offerings include vulnerability management, detection and response, policy compliance, asset inventory, web application security, endpoint security and cloud security capabilities.

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