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

StockNews.com cut shares of Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Loop Capital reduced their target price on Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Northland Securities restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $146.00 price target (down previously from $150.00) on shares of Qualys in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $144.36.

Qualys Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:QLYS opened at $118.59 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $133.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $136.49. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.50 and a beta of 0.71. Qualys has a one year low of $116.67 and a one year high of $174.20.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 28.59% and a return on equity of 38.52%. Analysts predict that Qualys will post 3.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 4,542 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.08, for a total value of $636,243.36. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 108,215 shares in the company, valued at $15,158,757.20. This trade represents a 4.03 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.49, for a total value of $941,430.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 225,453 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,321,173.97. This trade represents a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,960 shares of company stock worth $3,465,246 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Qualys by 0.9% in the 4th 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. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Qualys by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 7,833 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Qualys in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $15,937,000. Trust Point Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Qualys during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $376,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in Qualys by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 4,253 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $596,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares during the period. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.