Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the seventeen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have given a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $146.57.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on QLYS. Loop Capital cut their price target on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Qualys from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com raised shares of Qualys from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their price target 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Qualys from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the business's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 225,453 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,321,173.97. The trade was a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.24, for a total value of $121,615.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 63,177 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,986,296.48. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,288 shares of company stock valued at $4,209,716. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Qualys

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Qualys in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Qualys during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Qualys by 88.1% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 333 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Qualys in the fourth quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Qualys by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the software maker's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Qualys Stock Performance

Qualys stock traded up $2.63 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $143.76. 329,937 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 350,052. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.92 and a beta of 0.56. The business's 50-day moving average is $141.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.31. Qualys has a 12 month low of $119.17 and a 12 month high of $174.31.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The software maker reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.16). Qualys had a return on equity of 39.64% and a net margin of 28.59%. On average, equities analysts predict that Qualys will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.