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Qualys (QLYS) Dips More Than Broader Markets: What You Should Know

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Qualys (QLYS - Free Report) closed at $83.80 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.88% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.04%. At the same time, the Dow lost 0.1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 0.05%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the maker of security-analysis software had lost 4.26% over the past month. This has lagged the Computer and Technology sector's gain of 2.54% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.48% in that time.

QLYS will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release. In that report, analysts expect QLYS to post earnings of $0.58 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 13.73%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $84.81 million, up 14.3% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $2.28 per share and revenue of $321.69 million, which would represent changes of +30.29% and +15.35%, respectively, from the prior year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for QLYS. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 2.73% higher. QLYS is currently a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that QLYS has a Forward P/E ratio of 37.01 right now. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 44.13, which means QLYS is trading at a discount to the group.

The Security industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 16, putting it in the top 7% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow QLYS in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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