Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) Stock Gets Price Target Increase from Morgan Stanley

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $140.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “underweight” rating on the software maker’s stock. Morgan Stanley‘s target price suggests a potential downside of 21.53% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Qualys from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Scotiabank increased their price target on Qualys from $190.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Qualys from $150.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Qualys from $160.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Qualys from $139.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $187.67.

Qualys Stock Down 11.9%

Qualys stock traded down $24.04 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $178.42. 620,641 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 758,794. The firm has a market cap of $6.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.81 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $191.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $137.06. Qualys has a 1-year low of $74.51 and a 1-year high of $235.54.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Joo Mi Kim sold 2,659 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.66, for a total transaction of $557,485.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 68,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,489.28. This trade represents a 3.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 Qualys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.52, for a total transaction of $166,967.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 57,807 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,955,582.64. This trade represents a 1.50% decrease in their position. 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 ninety days, insiders sold 11,672 shares of company stock worth $2,192,747. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Qualys

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of QLYS. Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Qualys in the 3rd quarter valued at $669,000. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Qualys by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 39,119 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $7,323,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares in the last quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Qualys by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Paralel Advisors LLC now owns 26,593 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $4,978,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in Qualys by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 495 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in Qualys by 6.6% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,701 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Qualys

Here are the key news stories impacting Qualys this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Qualys reported Q3 revenue of $188.05 million, up 10.7% year over year, and earnings of $2.12 per share, topping analyst estimates. The company also raised its FY2026 outlook: EPS guidance is $8.07–$8.14 versus a $7.44 consensus, while revenue guidance is $736.9–$738.9 million versus $735.5 million expected. Qualys Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Wedbush, Piper Sandler, and Robert W. Baird raised their price targets, but each maintained a neutral rating—suggesting improved valuation views without a stronger endorsement. Wedbush rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: Qualys announced an expanded mROC alliance spanning mobile, operational technology, and identity security, and said management will meet investors at an upcoming UBS technology conference. These developments may support longer-term engagement but offer limited immediate financial impact. Qualys expands global mROC alliance
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 revenue guidance of $191–$193 million is only slightly above the $190.9 million consensus, with expected year-over-year growth of 9%–10%. The restrained revenue outlook appears to be outweighing the earnings beat and higher full-year forecast in the market’s reaction. Qualys earnings beat; stock falls on revenue outlook

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.