Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Cut to "Hold" at StockNews.com

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Friday.

QLYS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Qualys in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Qualys from $162.00 to $135.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Qualys in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Northland Securities restated a "market perform" rating and set a $146.00 price target (down from $150.00) on shares of Qualys in a report on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $144.36.

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Qualys Stock Up 7.3 %

Shares of QLYS stock traded up $8.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $123.64. 176,725 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 396,583. The stock has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.35 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $131.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.23. Qualys has a 12 month low of $112.61 and a 12 month high of $174.20.

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 net margin of 28.59% and a return on equity of 38.52%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Qualys will post 3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Qualys

In other Qualys news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of Qualys 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 225,453 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,321,173.97. The trade was a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 4,487 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $628,180.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 112,757 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,785,980. The trade was a 3.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 25,122 shares of company stock worth $3,484,692. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Qualys by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,312,662 shares of the software maker's stock worth $604,721,000 after purchasing an additional 131,339 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Qualys by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,262,931 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $178,445,000 after acquiring an additional 16,369 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in Qualys by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,049,623 shares of the software maker's stock worth $147,178,000 after purchasing an additional 123,530 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Qualys by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 954,583 shares of the software maker's stock worth $133,852,000 after acquiring an additional 88,347 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Qualys by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 920,163 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $129,025,000 after acquiring an additional 38,880 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.