Polen Capital Management LLC Has $2.62 Million Stock Holdings in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS)

Polen Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,701 shares of the software maker’s stock after selling 1,803 shares during the quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC owned 0.05% of Qualys worth $2,622,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in QLYS. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Qualys during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Qualys during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Qualys by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 391 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Qualys by 56.2% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 439 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mendota Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Qualys in the 4th quarter valued at $91,000. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Qualys Stock Up 4.0 %

QLYS stock opened at $126.39 on Monday. Qualys, Inc. has a twelve month low of $119.17 and a twelve month high of $174.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.18 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.04.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Qualys, Inc. will post 3.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Qualys news, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 1,635 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.64, for a total transaction of $226,676.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 112,017 shares in the company, valued at $15,530,036.88. This represents a 1.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.24, for a total value of $121,615.20. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 63,177 shares in the company, valued at $8,986,296.48. This trade represents a 1.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 26,926 shares of company stock valued at $3,745,742 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QLYS has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Qualys from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Qualys in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Qualys from $162.00 to $135.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price target on shares of Qualys from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Qualys from $150.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $146.57.

Qualys 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.