Clearbridge Investments LLC Cuts Holdings in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS)

Clearbridge Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Free Report) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 161,764 shares of the software maker's stock after selling 22,191 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 0.44% of Qualys worth $22,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Qualys by 32.5% in the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 51,934 shares of the software maker's stock worth $7,282,000 after purchasing an additional 12,741 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Qualys by 11.8% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 5,463 shares of the software maker's stock worth $766,000 after buying an additional 575 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Qualys during the 4th quarter valued at $1,150,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Qualys during the 4th quarter worth $14,110,000. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its position in Qualys by 16.3% in the fourth quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 8,590 shares of the software maker's stock worth $1,204,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.31% of the company's stock.

Qualys Trading Down 3.8 %

Shares of QLYS stock traded down $4.68 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $118.59. The stock had a trading volume of 542,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 396,454. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 25.50 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $133.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.49. Qualys, Inc. has a 52-week low of $116.67 and a 52-week high of $174.20.

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Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. 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 net margin of 28.59% and a return on equity of 38.52%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Qualys, Inc. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered Qualys from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Qualys from $162.00 to $135.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Loop Capital reduced their price target on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price objective on shares of Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Qualys presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $144.36.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 882 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was 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 owns 62,295 shares in the company, valued at $8,700,119.70. This trade represents a 1.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.17, for a total value of $995,190.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 246,144 shares in the company, valued at $34,994,292.48. This represents a 2.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 26,595 shares of company stock valued at $3,691,922. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Qualys 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.