Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Qualys raised its Q3 2026 outlook to EPS of $1.91–$1.98 and revenue of $185.5 million–$187.5 million, above consensus estimates of $1.80 EPS and $182.6 million revenue. Full-year 2026 EPS guidance was set at $7.74–$7.88.
• Shares rose 4.0% to $161.06 in midday trading, near the company’s 12-month high of $167.86, despite Qualys’ latest reported quarterly EPS of $1.56 missing the $1.78 analyst consensus.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and $142.53 target price; insiders have sold 75,228 shares worth approximately $9.46 million over the past three months.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.910-1.980 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share 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 Trading Up 4.0%

QLYS stock traded up $6.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.06. 1,040,724 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 765,978. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $129.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $110.80. The company has a market capitalization of $5.67 billion, a PE ratio of 28.92 and a beta of 0.60. Qualys has a twelve month low of $74.51 and a twelve month high of $167.86.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.22). Qualys had a net margin of 29.41% and a return on equity of 37.15%. Qualys has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.740-7.880 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.910-1.980 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Qualys will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of Qualys from $155.00 to $125.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Scotiabank raised Qualys from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $100.00 to $190.00 in a report on Monday, July 6th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Qualys from $85.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Qualys from $135.00 to $100.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, William Blair downgraded Qualys from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Qualys has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $142.53.

Insider Activity at Qualys

In related news, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 1,627 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.17, for a total transaction of $162,976.59. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 83,211 shares in the company, valued at $8,335,245.87. This trade represents a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 2,384 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.18, for a total value of $238,829.12. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 66,301 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,642,034.18. The trade was a 3.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 75,228 shares of company stock valued at $9,457,674. Insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Qualys

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Qualys by 3,948.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,024 shares of the software maker's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $292,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Qualys by 3,218.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 531 shares of the software maker's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Qualys by 482.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 646 shares of the software maker's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Qualys by 47.1% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 21,365 shares of the software maker's stock worth $3,076,000 after purchasing an additional 6,844 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.31% of the company's stock.

Qualys Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.