Qualys, Inc. $QLYS Stock Sold by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama lessened its holdings in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS) by 23.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 133,685 shares of the software maker’s stock after selling 40,404 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned approximately 0.39% of Qualys worth $25,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in QLYS. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Qualys during the second quarter valued at approximately $792,316,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $197,624,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Qualys by 127.0% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 832,796 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $73,161,000 after buying an additional 465,952 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,044,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $21,852,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.31% of the company’s stock.

Qualys Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of QLYS stock opened at $182.69 on Thursday. Qualys, Inc. has a 1 year low of $74.51 and a 1 year high of $235.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $190.96 and its 200-day moving average is $137.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.40 and a beta of 0.54.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The software maker reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $188.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.63 million. Qualys had a net margin of 29.59% and a return on equity of 37.09%. Qualys’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.86 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Qualys, Inc. will post 5.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on QLYS. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Qualys from $235.00 to $215.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Qualys from $160.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Qualys from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Northland Securities set a $208.00 price objective on Qualys in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Qualys from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $195.00.

Qualys News Summary

Investors following QLYS have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualys beat third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, citing strength in federal demand, channel growth and security-product adoption. It also raised its 2026 outlook: adjusted EPS guidance is $8.07–$8.14 versus the $7.44 consensus, and revenue guidance is $736.9 million–$738.9 million versus $735.5 million. Article: Qualys Q3 Earnings Beat on Federal Strength, 2026 Guidance Raised
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target changes were mixed. JPMorgan and Jefferies lowered their targets to $215 while retaining neutral/hold ratings; UBS, RBC, Wedbush, Piper Sandler and Baird raised targets, generally keeping neutral ratings. Article: Qualys Stock Price Target Lowered at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, analysts flagged a slowdown in fourth-quarter billings growth and margin concerns, contributing to pressure on the stock after results. Investors may also be questioning whether the shares’ valuation already reflects the improved outlook. Article: Qualys declines as analysts highlight Q4 billings growth slowdown

Insider Activity at Qualys

In related news, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 881 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.52, for a total value of $166,967.12. Following the transaction, the insider owned 57,807 shares in the company, valued at $10,955,582.64. This trade represents a 1.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Sumedh Thakar sold 3,200 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.05, for a total value of $544,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 180,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,666,476.90. The trade was a 1.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,672 shares of company stock worth $2,192,747 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Qualys Company Profile

Qualys, Inc. provides cloud-based security and compliance software to help organizations identify and manage cybersecurity risks. Its platform brings together information about an organization’s IT assets and security posture to support vulnerability management, threat detection, and compliance activities. Qualys offers products and services for vulnerability assessment and remediation, cloud security, endpoint protection, web application security, and policy compliance. Its solutions are designed to help customers monitor systems across cloud environments, on-premises infrastructure, and other connected assets.