Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) had its price target increased by stock analysts at UBS Group from $170.00 to $210.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the software maker’s stock. UBS Group‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 20.03% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on QLYS. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Qualys from $160.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Qualys from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Qualys from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Wedbush raised their price objective on Qualys from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Yorkville Ives started coverage on shares of Qualys in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $193.12.

Qualys Trading Down 13.6%

QLYS stock traded down $27.51 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $174.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,179,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 761,051. The firm has a market cap of $6.05 billion, a PE ratio of 30.27 and a beta of 0.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $191.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.06. Qualys has a 52 week low of $74.51 and a 52 week high of $235.54.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The software maker reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.16. Qualys had a net margin of 29.38% and a return on equity of 37.52%. The company had revenue of $188.05 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Qualys will post 5.84 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Sumedh Thakar sold 3,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total value of $609,152.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 177,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,719,989.68. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Bruce K. Posey sold 881 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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. The trade was a 1.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,672 shares of company stock valued at $2,192,747. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Qualys

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Qualys by 28.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 47,295 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $4,155,000 after buying an additional 10,569 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Qualys by 306.4% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 36,253 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $3,185,000 after purchasing an additional 27,333 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Qualys by 63.5% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 17,251 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $2,372,000 after buying an additional 6,700 shares in the last quarter. Park State Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Qualys in the second quarter worth approximately $5,942,000. Finally, Chase Investment Counsel Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Qualys during the second quarter worth approximately $2,749,000. 99.31% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Qualys News

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualys this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualys reported third-quarter revenue of about $188 million, up 11% year over year, and adjusted EPS of $2.12, topping analyst estimates. It also raised its FY2026 revenue outlook to $736.9 million–$738.9 million and forecast Q4 EPS above consensus. Qualys Q3 2026 financial results
• Positive Sentiment: The company expanded its mROC alliance with partners covering mobile, operational technology, IoT and identity security, broadening its risk-management offering. Qualys expands global mROC alliance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target changes were mixed: JPMorgan lowered its target to $215 and Morgan Stanley raised its target to $140 while retaining an underweight rating; RBC, Wedbush, Piper Sandler and Baird also raised targets but maintained neutral or sector-perform ratings.
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualys plans to participate in the UBS Global Technology and AI Conference, an investor-engagement event with no announced financial impact. Qualys investor conference announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat and raised annual outlook, reports point to margin concerns and analyst warnings of slower Q4 billings growth. Those concerns appear to be outweighing the headline results and contributing to the negative reaction. Qualys declines as analysts highlight Q4 billings growth slowdown

About Qualys

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.