Qualys, Inc. $QLYS Holdings Lowered by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Nov 12th, 2026

Retirement Systems of Alabama lowered its stake in Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ:QLYS – Free Report) by 23.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 133,685 shares of the software maker’s stock after selling 40,404 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Qualys were worth $25,026,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Qualys in the second quarter valued at about $792,316,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Qualys in the second quarter valued at about $197,624,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Qualys by 127.0% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 832,796 shares of the software maker’s stock valued at $73,161,000 after buying an additional 465,952 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Qualys by 6.4% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 763,099 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $67,041,000 after buying an additional 45,718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Qualys by 3.6% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 497,600 shares of the software maker’s stock worth $43,714,000 after buying an additional 17,300 shares during the last quarter. 99.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Qualys Trading Up 4.3%

Shares of Qualys stock opened at $182.69 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.32 billion, a PE ratio of 30.40 and a beta of 0.54. Qualys, Inc. has a 12 month low of $74.51 and a 12 month high of $235.54. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $190.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.55.

Qualys (NASDAQ:QLYS – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 9th. The software maker reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.16. Qualys had a return on equity of 37.09% and a net margin of 29.59%. The firm had revenue of $188.05 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.63 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Qualys, Inc. will post 5.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

QLYS has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Qualys from $160.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings raised Qualys from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Qualys from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Yorkville Ives began coverage on shares of Qualys in a research note on Monday, October 5th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $230.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Qualys from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $195.00.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Qualys

Recent Qualys Headlines

Here are a few of the latest headlines about QLYS:

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 Transactions at Qualys

In other news, CEO Sumedh S. Thakar sold 3,200 shares of Qualys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.36, for a total transaction of $609,152.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 177,138 shares in the company, valued at $33,719,989.68. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Bruce Posey sold 881 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.52, for a total value of $166,967.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 57,807 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,955,582.64. This represents a 1.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 valued at $2,192,747 over the last 90 days. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Qualys

(Free Report)

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.