Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $146.57.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on QLYS shares. Loop Capital decreased their price target on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Qualys from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Northland Securities reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $146.00 price target (down previously from $150.00) on shares of Qualys in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Qualys from $162.00 to $135.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a research note on Monday, February 10th.

Qualys Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ QLYS opened at $130.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.06 and a beta of 0.56. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $136.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.07. Qualys has a 52 week low of $119.17 and a 52 week high of $174.20.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The software maker reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.16). Qualys had a net margin of 28.59% and a return on equity of 38.52%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Qualys will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $941,430.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 225,453 shares in the company, valued at $30,321,173.97. This trade represents a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 855 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.24, for a total transaction of $121,615.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 63,177 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,986,296.48. The trade was a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,926 shares of company stock valued at $3,745,742. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualys

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Qualys by 29.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,364 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Qualys by 19.7% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,177 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Qualys during the 3rd quarter valued at $224,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in shares of Qualys by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 15,851 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,036,000 after buying an additional 2,010 shares during the period. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new position in shares of Qualys during the 3rd quarter valued at $445,000. Institutional investors own 99.31% of the company’s stock.

About Qualys

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.