Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Loop Capital decreased their price target on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. 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 note on Friday, February 7th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Northland Securities reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $146.00 price objective (down previously from $150.00) on shares of Qualys in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their target price on Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $146.57.

Qualys Stock Performance

Qualys stock traded down $0.86 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $123.09. 269,310 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 394,305. Qualys has a one year low of $119.17 and a one year high of $174.31. The stock has a market cap of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $137.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.98.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last released 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 net margin of 28.59% and a return on equity of 38.52%. Sell-side analysts predict that Qualys will post 3.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Qualys

In other news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 225,453 shares in the company, valued at $30,321,173.97. This trade represents a 3.01 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 525 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.48, for a total value of $73,227.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 65,373 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,118,226.04. The trade was a 0.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,926 shares of company stock valued at $3,745,742. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualys

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of QLYS. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Qualys in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Qualys in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Qualys by 88.1% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 333 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Qualys in the 4th quarter worth about $54,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Qualys by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.31% of the company’s stock.

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.