Qualys Soars 18.8% on Q3 Earnings Surge and AI-Driven Growth Momentum

Summary
• Qualys (QLYS) surges 18.8% intraday to $144.015, breaking through 2025 highs.
• Q3 revenue hits $169.9M (+10% YoY), adjusted EBITDA margin expands to 49%.
• AI-powered Enterprise TruRisk Management (ETM) and Agentic AI adoption drive commercial success.

Qualys’ stock erupted in post-earnings trading, fueled by a record $169.9M revenue beat, 49% EBITDA margin, and strategic AI innovations. The cybersecurity leader’s 18.8% intraday gain reflects investor confidence in its risk operations center and upsell potential, despite flat net dollar retention and competitive pressures.

Q3 Earnings Beat and AI-Driven Platform Expansion Ignite Rally
Qualys’ 18.8% surge stems from a Q3 earnings report that exceeded Wall Street’s revenue and profit expectations. Revenue grew 10% to $169.9M, with adjusted EBITDA margin expanding to 49% (up from 45% YoY). The company highlighted early adoption of its Agentic AI-powered Risk Operations Center and Enterprise Threat Management (ETM) solution, which transitioned proof-of-concepts to commercial deployments. Management raised 2025 revenue guidance to $665.8M–$667.8M, citing Q-Flex pricing model traction and AI-driven R&D efficiency gains. Analysts praised the bundling strategy and platform stickiness, with CEO Sumedh Thakar emphasizing ETM’s role in consolidating cybersecurity tools and automating remediation.

Cybersecurity Sector Gains Momentum as Qualys Outperforms Peer CrowdStrike
The broader cybersecurity sector saw mixed performance, with CrowdStrike (CRWD) down 0.45% despite Qualys’ 18.8% surge. Qualys’ rally was uniquely driven by its AI-powered platform differentiation, including TruConfirm exploit validation and Agentic AI workforce. While CRWD faces competition from new entrants, Qualys emphasized its integrated remediation capabilities and 50% channel revenue contribution. The sector’s 10% revenue growth (QLYS) outpaced CRWD’s 8%–9% Q4 guidance, signaling investor preference for platform-driven innovation over dashboard-centric models.

Options and ETF Strategies for QLYS Volatility and AI-Driven Growth
• RSI: 37.07 (oversold)
• MACD: -2.23 (bearish), Signal Line: -1.83
• Bollinger Bands: Upper $132.07, Middle $126.90, Lower $121.72
• 200D MA: $133.42 (below current price)

QLYS is trading above its 200-day average and Bollinger Upper Band, suggesting short-term bullish momentum. Key support at $127.39 and resistance at $135.43. The 37 RSI indicates oversold conditions, but MACD’s bearish divergence warns of potential pullbacks. No leveraged ETF data is available, but the stock’s 18.8% intraday gain suggests high volatility.

Top Options Picks:
• QLYS20251121C140 (Call, $140 strike, Nov 21 expiry):
- IV: 41.64% (moderate)
- Leverage Ratio: 18.09%
- Delta: 0.669 (moderate sensitivity)
- Theta: -0.353 (high time decay)
- Gamma: 0.0279 (high sensitivity to price movement)
- Turnover: 14,629 (high liquidity)
- Payoff (5% upside): $7.20 per contract
- Why: High gamma and moderate delta make this call ideal for capitalizing on a breakout above $140, with strong liquidity for entry/exit.

• QLYS20251121C145 (Call, $145 strike, Nov 21 expiry):
- IV: 32.84% (moderate)
- Leverage Ratio: 35.22%
- Delta: 0.5156 (moderate sensitivity)
- Theta: -0.290 (high time decay)
- Gamma: 0.0389 (very high sensitivity)
- Turnover: 15,686 (high liquidity)
- Payoff (5% upside): $2.10 per contract
- Why: High gamma and leverage ratio position this call to benefit from a sharp move above $145, with strong liquidity for execution.

Aggressive bulls may consider QLYS20251121C140 into a breakout above $140, while QLYS20251121C145 offers high gamma exposure for a push toward $150.

Backtest Qualys Stock Performance
I tried to identify every trading day between 2022-01-01 and 2025-11-05 on which Qualys (QLYS) finished the day at least 19 % higher than the previous close, and then run the event-based back-test on those dates. • The price scan returned zero qualifying sessions – QLYS has not logged a ≥19 % single-day close-to-close gain during this period. • Because the event list was empty, the event_backtest_engine had no data to process, which triggered the internal “convert_statistics” error you saw. Nothing is wrong with your request; there simply are no events to test.How would you like to proceed?1. Lower the surge threshold (e.g., 15 %, 12 %, 10 %) to see post-event behaviour on more frequent moves. 2. Test a different type of “surge” (e.g., intraday high vs. open, or close vs. intraday low). 3. Switch to a standard strategy back-test instead (e.g., momentum, moving-average crossover). Let me know which option (or another) you prefer, and I’ll rerun the analysis accordingly.

Position for QLYS Breakout as AI-Driven Growth and Strong Earnings Fuel Momentum
Qualys’ 18.8% surge reflects a confluence of strong Q3 results, AI-driven platform innovation, and raised guidance. While flat net dollar retention and competitive pressures persist, the stock’s break above $140 and 200-day MA signals a potential multi-week rally. Investors should monitor the $145 level for confirmation of sustained momentum. With CrowdStrike (CRWD) down 0.45%, Qualys’ AI differentiation and channel growth position it as a sector leader. Watch for a close above $145 to validate the breakout and consider QLYS20251121C140 for leveraged exposure.