Optimize Financial Inc Makes New Investment in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS)

Optimize Financial Inc bought a new stake in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 13,931 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,953,000. Qualys accounts for approximately 1.5% of Optimize Financial Inc's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Qualys in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Qualys in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Qualys by 88.1% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 333 shares of the software maker's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased 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 buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 4th quarter valued at $91,000. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Qualys Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ QLYS traded up $0.73 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $123.97. The company had a trading volume of 340,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 399,763. Qualys, Inc. has a 52 week low of $112.61 and a 52 week high of $174.20. The business's 50 day moving average price is $129.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $136.08. The stock has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66 and a beta of 0.71.

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Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The software maker reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.16). Qualys had a return on equity of 38.52% and a net margin of 28.59%. Equities analysts anticipate that Qualys, Inc. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Qualys in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "underweight" rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Northland Securities reaffirmed 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. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, Qualys has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $144.36.

Insider Activity

In other Qualys news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.81, for a total transaction of $866,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,496,012.53. The trade was a 2.76 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 882 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.66, for a total value of $123,180.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 62,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,700,119.70. This trade represents a 1.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,480 shares of company stock valued at $3,579,506. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.