D/E 0.09 — below the Technology debt median (≈40th pctile)
P/E31.5xB
P/E 31.5 — near the Technology median (≈60th pctile)
PEG3.64D
PEG 3.64 — very expensive; pricing in best-case scenarios
Forward price target — the 1-year figure is the analyst consensus where the stock is covered; the 5- and 10-year figures compound our earnings estimate from there. The DCF below is a separate cross-check on intrinsic value (what it's worth today), not another target.
Quality-growth score · 71
Quality95.4
Growth82.9
Value45.3
Why this score
Buying back stock
Durable high returns
Entry · Margin of safety
52-week rangeNear 52-week high
10% off the 12-month high
vs DCF fair value19% belowest. fair value ~$224
What the price assumes: free cash flow compounding at ~1% a year for the next decade — vs the ~8% a year our model projects from current growth and analyst estimates.
Quality signals · context only
Gross profitability55% · Agross profit ÷ total assets (Novy-Marx)
ROIC33.9% · Areturn on invested capital — not score-weighted
Model-generatedGenerated by the Bull Rankings model from this company's reported fundamentals, and checked against the figures shown above.
Why now
Qualys is the undisputed leader in cloud-native security and compliance, where TotalCloud—its cloud workload protection and posture management suite—is the only platform that unifies asset discovery, vulnerability management, and remediation across hybrid and multi-cloud estates. The company’s 29.4% profit margin and $314M of trailing free cash flow prove that scale in cybersecurity asset management isn’t a feature; it’s a fortress. The crux: every enterprise moving to cloud must consolidate vendors to cut attack surfaces, and Qualys’ single-pane-of-glass approach locks in customers with switching costs measured in months of lost visibility, not dollars.
Moat
Qualys’ ROE of 36.7% isn’t magic—it’s the compounding effect of a cloud platform that turns compliance audits from quarterly fire drills into continuous, automated workflows. Competitors like Rapid7 or Tenable can match a feature here or there, but none replicate the breadth of Qualys Cloud Apps, from TruRisk scoring to file integrity monitoring, all delivered as a single data lake. The moat is architectural: once a CISO integrates Qualys’ APIs into their SIEM or ticketing system, migrating to a point solution would mean ripping out years of normalized threat intelligence—an operational nightmare, not a budget line.
Risk
The bear case is simple: Qualys trades at a 34x P/E while growing revenue at just 10.4%, and the Bull Rankings model flags ‘Value’ as the weakest pillar at 45/100. If cloud security budgets get squeezed by AI-driven automation tools or a recession forces CISOs to prioritize point solutions over suites, Qualys’ premium multiple collapses. Confirm the bear thesis when the company misses its next guidance by citing macro headwinds in enterprise IT spend—because at this valuation, growth deceleration isn’t a risk; it’s a valuation reset.
Horizon
1-3 yr $171.74 (18-analyst consensus) — fundamentals + valuation re-rating. 5 yr $251.45 at ~7% CAGR — compounding case rests on the competitive position widening. 10 yr $373.00 if current growth sustains into durable earnings power.
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
QLYS vs the Top Picks average
Pillar
QLYS
Book avg
Diff
Quality
0.95
0.84
+0.12
Growth
0.83
0.84
in line
Value
0.45
0.78
-0.33
Averaged across the 30 names in today's Top Picks (mean score 81.5). A name can beat these averages and still be absent from the book — it also applies concentration limits.
Score history · QLYS
Trend
-4.8 over 47 daily scores
From 75.8 (Jun 22) → 71.0 (now)
One point per daily model run. The range autoscales, so a flat-looking line can still hide 1–2 point moves — read the From → To values for the actual range.
Analyst estimate revisions
30-day change
+1.7%
90-day change
+1.9%
Forward EPS estimate
$8.42
Over the last 90 days, what analysts expect QLYS to earn is drifting higher (+1.9%). The estimate is derived from price and forward P/E captured at the same instant, so a moving share price does not move this number — only a changed forecast does.
A rising estimate means expectations are improving, not that the price has failed to keep up — and estimates get cut as readily as they get raised. It is not part of the Bull Rankings score. Biggest movers across the market →
Position sizing · QLYS
$
%
%
Shares to buy
10
Position size
$1,820
3.6% of portfolio
Stop price
$136.48
25% below $181.98
$ at risk if stopped
$454.95
budget $500.00 · 1% of portfolio
Math only — share count is floor(portfolio × risk% ÷ (price × stop%)). Doesn't account for commissions, slippage, gap risk, or position-correlation across your book. Inputs persist locally; never sent to the server. Not investment advice.
Qualys, Inc. (QLYS): score, valuation & FAQ
Qualys, Inc. (QLYS) is a Software - Infrastructure company that scores 71 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth model — a solid, above-average reading. The score blends three pillars — quality (durable returns, healthy margins, low leverage), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (valuation versus sector peers) — into one number, refreshed daily; it is a screen, not a buy recommendation.
Its strongest graded signals are D/E (B+), while PEG (D) rate weaker. On valuation, QLYS sits about 19% below our discounted-cash-flow fair value (a margin of safety) — the current price implies roughly 1% annual free-cash-flow growth over the next decade.
Is QLYS a good stock to buy?
Bull Rankings scores QLYS 71 out of 100 on its quality-growth model, which is a solid, above-average reading. That is driven by D/E (B+). A score is a quantitative screen of Qualys, Inc.'s fundamentals, not personalised financial advice — weigh it against your own time horizon and risk tolerance, and read the risk factors below before acting.
Why does QLYS score 71 on Bull Rankings?
The quality-growth score blends three pillars — quality (returns on capital, margins, leverage, earnings quality), growth (revenue and earnings expansion), and value (valuation versus sector peers). QLYS earns its highest marks on D/E (B+), and is held back by PEG (D). Each pillar is graded against sector-aware thresholds, then combined into the single 0–100 score.
Is QLYS overvalued or undervalued?
Based on $181.98, QLYS sits about 19% below our discounted-cash-flow fair value (a margin of safety) — the current price implies roughly 1% annual free-cash-flow growth over the next decade. It trades at a 31.5x P/E (graded B). Discounted-cash-flow estimates are sensitive to growth and discount-rate assumptions, so treat this as a cross-check, not a price target.
What are the main risks of investing in QLYS?
The bear case is simple: Qualys trades at a 34x P/E while growing revenue at just 10.4%, and the Bull Rankings model flags ‘Value’ as the weakest pillar at 45/100. If cloud security budgets get squeezed by AI-driven automation tools or a recession forces CISOs to prioritize point solutions over suites, Qualys’ premium multiple collapses. Confirm the bear thesis when the company misses its next guidance by citing macro headwinds in enterprise IT spend—because at this valuation, growth deceleration isn’t a risk; it’s a valuation reset.
Bull Rankings is an automated fundamentals screen for research and education. It is not investment advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Do your own research and consider consulting a licensed financial advisor.