KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Shares in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 12,400 shares of the software maker's stock, valued at approximately $1,739,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Qualys by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,246,562 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $160,957,000 after purchasing an additional 20,038 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its position in Qualys by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,049,623 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $147,178,000 after buying an additional 123,530 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Qualys by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 456,540 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $64,016,000 after buying an additional 3,848 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Qualys by 1,386.2% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 355,699 shares of the software maker's stock worth $49,876,000 after buying an additional 331,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its holdings in shares of Qualys by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 154,440 shares of the software maker's stock worth $21,656,000 after buying an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.31% of the company's stock.

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Qualys Price Performance

Shares of Qualys stock traded up $0.39 on Wednesday, hitting $129.06. 273,419 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 395,249. The company has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a fifty day moving average of $134.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.46. Qualys, Inc. has a one year low of $119.17 and a one year high of $174.20.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 38.52% and a net margin of 28.59%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Qualys, Inc. will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on QLYS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Qualys from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Qualys in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Qualys from $162.00 to $135.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $144.36.

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualys

In related news, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 1,635 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.64, for a total value of $226,676.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 112,017 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,530,036.88. This trade represents a 1.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction of $941,430.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 225,453 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,321,173.97. The trade was a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,595 shares of company stock valued at $3,691,922. Corporate insiders own 1.00% 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.