Qualys Stock Climbs 16% On A 7-Day Winning Streak
Shares of Qualys (QLYS) have closed higher in each of the last 7 sessions, a cumulative gain of 15.9%. That added about $962 million to the company’s market value, which now stands at about $7.0 billion. The stock closed at $199.93 on Tuesday, October 6, its highest close of the past year.
The Streak Next To The S&P 500
Returns for QLYS and the S&P 500 over the streak and the periods around it, all ending Tuesday, October 6 and including dividends:
| Return Period | QLYS | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| 7 Days (Current Streak) | 15.9% | 1.0% |
| 1 Month (21 Trading Days) | 16.5% | 1.4% |
| 3 Months (63 Trading Days) | 30.2% | 4.8% |
| Year To Date | 50.4% | 15.2% |
| 1 Year (252 Trading Days) | 52.5% | 17.8% |
A Stock-Specific Run, Or A Market Move?
Over the same 7 trading days, the S&P 500 returned +1.0% including dividends, so the run is mostly Qualys’ own story rather than the market’s. Over the past three months the stock is up 30.2%, a window that includes the streak; over the other 56 sessions of that window it was up 12.3%.
Is The Business Keeping Up With The Stock?
On the fundamentals, revenue grew 10.4% over the last twelve months, against a median of 17.9% for S&P 500 Information Technology stocks; its operating margin is 34.4%, versus a median of 21.7%; and the stock trades at 33.9 times trailing earnings against a median of 36.6. The read is mixed: margins above the median and a multiple below the median on one side, revenue growth below the median on the other.
A climb like this is worth respecting, and worth testing. Our Guidance Momentum screen tracks the stocks whose companies just raised their own forward numbers.
Momentum Is A Tailwind, Not A Plan
Riding a stock that rises every day feels effortless, and that is precisely the danger: the same momentum that built this run can reverse without notice, and one name’s reversal should never be able to reset your whole year.
That is what the Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio is for: about 30 quality businesses screened for the fundamentals that survive momentum’s mood swings, held with rules. It has a track record of outpacing a benchmark that combines the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400, and the Russell 2000. Watch the runs; own the resilience.