Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS)’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $140.71, but opened at $132.88. Qualys shares last traded at $140.30, with a volume of 99,044 shares traded.

The software maker reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.16). Qualys had a return on equity of 40.24% and a net margin of 28.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

QLYS has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Qualys from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Qualys from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Qualys from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Qualys from $130.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC started coverage on shares of Qualys in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $152.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualys

In other news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $941,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 225,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,321,173.97. This represents a 3.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 882 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.66, for a total transaction of $123,180.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 62,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,700,119.70. The trade was a 1.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 31,259 shares of company stock worth $4,578,153. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualys

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Amalgamated Bank raised its stake in shares of Qualys by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 16,640 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $2,333,000 after buying an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC raised its position in Qualys by 1.5% in the third quarter. Financial Enhancement Group LLC now owns 6,100 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $784,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Qualys by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Qualys by 12.7% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, West Coast Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Qualys by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. West Coast Financial LLC now owns 23,177 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $2,977,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Qualys Trading Down 0.3 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.92 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s fifty day moving average is $143.69 and its 200 day moving average is $135.66.

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.