Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Shares Gap Down Following Weak Earnings

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down prior to trading on Friday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $140.71, but opened at $132.88. Qualys shares last traded at $140.30, with a volume of 99,044 shares traded.

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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on QLYS. Westpark Capital reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group raised their price target on Qualys from $140.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Qualys from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Qualys from $120.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Qualys has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $146.57.

Insider Transactions at Qualys

In other Qualys news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 855 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.24, for a total transaction of $121,615.20. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 63,177 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,986,296.48. The trade was a 1.34 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were 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 owns 225,453 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,321,173.97. This represents a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 31,259 shares of company stock valued at $4,578,153 over the last 90 days. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Qualys during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Qualys by 80.8% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 432 shares of the software maker's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Qualys by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the software maker's stock worth $55,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in shares of Qualys by 56.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 439 shares of the software maker's stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.31% of the company's stock.

Qualys Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.47 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's fifty day moving average is $143.05 and its 200 day moving average is $135.53.

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.