Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as $116.67 and last traded at $120.36, with a volume of 18087 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $123.27.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Qualys from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $144.36.

Qualys Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 0.71. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $131.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.23.

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Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The software maker reported $1.19 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Qualys, Inc. 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 the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total transaction of $941,430.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 225,453 shares in the company, valued at $30,321,173.97. This represents a 3.01 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 524 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.38, for a total transaction of $67,795.12. Following the sale, the insider now owns 65,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,416,557.14. This trade represents a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 25,122 shares of company stock valued at $3,484,692. 1.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Qualys by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,312,662 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $604,721,000 after purchasing an additional 131,339 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 16,369 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 88,347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Qualys by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 920,163 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $129,025,000 after buying an additional 38,880 shares during the period. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.