Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Qualys raised its FY 2026 outlook, forecasting EPS of $7.74–$7.88 and revenue of $732 million–$738 million, both above analyst consensus estimates. Q3 2026 EPS guidance was set at $1.91–$1.98.
• The stock rose to $161.06 in midday trading, near its 12-month high of $167.86, despite Qualys recently reporting quarterly EPS of $1.56, below the $1.78 consensus estimate.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $142.53; insiders sold approximately $9.46 million worth of shares during the last quarter.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 7.740-7.880 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 7.160. The company issued revenue guidance of $732.0 million-$738.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $724.6 million. Qualys also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 1.910-1.980 EPS.

Qualys Stock Performance

Qualys stock traded up $6.17 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $161.06. 1,040,724 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 765,978. The company has a market cap of $5.67 billion, a PE ratio of 28.92 and a beta of 0.60. Qualys has a 12 month low of $74.51 and a 12 month high of $167.86. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $129.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.80.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The software maker reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by ($0.22). Qualys had a return on equity of 37.15% and a net margin of 29.41%.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, equities analysts expect that Qualys will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen raised their target price on Qualys from $90.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Scotiabank upgraded Qualys from a "sector perform" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $100.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Qualys in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. William Blair lowered Qualys from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Qualys from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $142.53.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Wendy Pfeiffer sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.19, for a total value of $79,095.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,210 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,931,499.90. This represents a 3.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Thomas Berquist sold 939 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.75, for a total value of $103,994.25. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,781 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $750,995.75. This represents a 12.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 75,228 shares of company stock worth $9,457,674. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualys

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in QLYS. Strive Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Qualys by 204.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 213 shares of the software maker's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Qualys during the third quarter worth $57,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Qualys by 55.7% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 481 shares of the software maker's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Qualys by 74.2% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 547 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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