Qualys Announces First Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Qualys, Inc. announced its first-quarter 2024 financial results, showcasing a 12% year-over-year revenue growth. The company reported impressive GAAP EPS of $1.05 and Non-GAAP EPS of $1.45, raising its 2024 GAAP EPS guidance to $3.26-$3.50 and Non-GAAP EPS guidance to $5.06-$5.30. With strong profitability and continuous innovation, Qualys positioned itself as a leader in risk management, offering advanced solutions to eliminate cyber risk. The company's financial highlights include revenue growth, increased gross profit, operating income, net income, adjusted EBITDA, and operating cash flow.
Impressive 12% year-over-year revenue growth in the first quarter of 2024.
Strong GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross profit increased by 14%.
GAAP operating income rose by 27%, while non-GAAP operating income increased by 24%.
GAAP net income surged by 37% to $39.7 million, and non-GAAP net income grew to $54.7 million.
Adjusted EBITDA increased by 18% to $69.0 million, showcasing strong financial performance.
Operating cash flow rose by 28% to $85.5 million, indicating solid operational efficiency.
- None.
Insights
An analysis of Qualys, Inc.'s first quarter 2024 financial results depicts a solid fiscal health with a revenue growth of 12% year-over-year, indicating a steady demand for the company's cloud-based IT, security and compliance solutions. The rise in GAAP gross profit by 14% and an expansion of GAAP gross margin to 81% signal efficiency in cost management and potentially higher profitability for the company.
The 27% increase in GAAP operating income and a notable 37% increase in GAAP net income suggest operational leverage. Additionally, the substantial 28% boost in operating cash flow enhances the company's liquidity, providing more flexibility for strategic initiatives or shareholder returns.
However, while Qualys exhibits robust growth and profitability, the raised guidance for GAAP and non-GAAP EPS for 2024 will be a critical factor for current and potential investors. The company's ability to meet or exceed these projections could significantly impact investor sentiment and the stock's performance in upcoming quarters.
From a market position standpoint, the strategic partnerships with Oracle and Orange Cyberdefense, alongside unveiling of TotalCloud 2.0, demonstrate Qualys' commitment to expanding its service offerings and market reach. This can potentially increase competitive advantage and attract a broader customer base.
Additionally, being named as finalists for prestigious awards such as the SC Awards Europe for their VMDR and TotalCloud services reflects positively on the company's reputation and may contribute to customer trust and loyalty. However, the real test will be in the conversion of these accolades into quantifiable sales growth and market share expansion.
It is also prudent to observe the cybersecurity industry's landscape, where demand is often shaped by the evolving nature of threats, regulatory changes and technological advancements. Qualys' focus on enhancing their CyberSecurity Asset Management solution aligns well with the industry's shift towards comprehensive vulnerability management and real-time threat detection.
From a technology perspective, the advanced automation in the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform may represent a significant leap in cybersecurity solutions. The capacity to measure and manage cyber risk holistically across various environments may resonate well with enterprises dealing with complex IT infrastructures.
Given the ongoing digital transformation and the shift to multi-cloud environments, Qualys' efforts to integrate natively with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and create a unified view of risk across cloud platforms equip them with a contemporary solution that meets current market demands, potentially leading to sustainable growth.
However, as cloud-based security becomes increasingly commoditized, continuous innovation and differentiation will be imperative for maintaining momentum and avoiding margin compression. Investors should monitor R&D investment and product pipeline as indicators of Qualys' ability to stay ahead in the tech curve.
Revenue Growth of
GAAP EPS:
Raises 2024 GAAP EPS Guidance to
Raises 2024 Non-GAAP EPS Guidance to
"We delivered another quarter of healthy revenue growth and strong profitability," said Sumedh Thakar, president and CEO of Qualys. "By leveraging the advanced automation in the Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform, we offer customers and partners a highly differentiated and natively integrated solution to holistically measure, communicate, and ultimately work to eliminate cyber risk. Our continuous innovation to further strengthen our platform and TruRisk capabilities across on-prem, cloud, and multi-cloud environments enables a solution for modern security challenges at scale, further extends our leadership, and we believe strategically positions Qualys as the foundational risk management platform for the future and durable long-term growth."
First Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights
Revenues: Revenues for the first quarter of 2024 increased by
Gross Profit: GAAP gross profit for the first quarter of 2024 increased by
Operating Income: GAAP operating income for the first quarter of 2024 increased by
Net Income: GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2024 increased by
Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for the first quarter of 2024 increased by
Operating Cash Flow: Operating cash flow for the first quarter of 2024 increased by
First Quarter 2024 Business Highlights
- Unveiled TotalCloud 2.0 with TruRisk Insights, bringing together cloud infrastructure, SaaS apps, and externally exposed assets for a unified view of risk across multi-cloud environments.
- Expanded Qualys' partnership with Oracle to include VMDR and TotalCloud, which are both now integrated natively with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and available on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace.
- Orange Cyberdefense expanded its partnership with Qualys to strengthen its managed cybersecurity portfolio and deliver an end-to-end vulnerability intelligence service.
- Qualys' enhanced CyberSecurity Asset Management solution now detects unmanaged and untrusted devices in real time through passive discovery functionality within the Qualys Cloud Agent. This enhancement reinforces the solutions leadership in internal and external attack surface management.
- Qualys VMDR and TotalCloud were named finalists for the SC Awards Europe in categories of Best Vulnerability Management and Best Cloud Security solutions, highlighting their excellence and contributions to shaping the future of technology and cybersecurity in the
UK andEurope .
Financial Performance Outlook
Based on information as of today, May 7, 2024, Qualys is issuing the following financial guidance for the second quarter and full year fiscal 2024. The Company emphasizes that the guidance is subject to various important cautionary factors referenced in the sections entitled "Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.
Second Quarter 2024 Guidance: Management expects revenues for the second quarter of 2024 to be in the range of
Full Year 2024 Guidance: Management now expects revenues for the full year of 2024 to be in the range of
Qualys has not reconciled non-GAAP net income per diluted share guidance to GAAP net income per diluted share guidance because Qualys does not provide guidance on the various reconciling cash and non-cash items between GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income (i.e., stock-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets from acquisitions and non-recurring items). The actual dollar amount of reconciling items in the second quarter and full year 2024 is likely to have a significant impact on the Company's GAAP net income per diluted share in the second quarter and full year 2024. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP net income per diluted share guidance to the GAAP net income per diluted share guidance is not available without unreasonable effort.
Investor Conference Call
Qualys will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss its first quarter financial results at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Pacific Time) on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. To access the conference call by phone, please register here. A live webcast of the earnings conference call, investor presentation and prepared remarks can be accessed at https://investor.qualys.com/events-presentations. A replay of the conference call will be available through the same webcast link following the end of the call.
Investor Contact
Blair King
Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Development
(650) 538-2088
ir@qualys.com
About Qualys
Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) is a pioneer and leading provider of disruptive cloud-based Security, Compliance and IT solutions with more than 10,000 subscription customers worldwide, including a majority of the Forbes Global 100 and Fortune 100. Qualys helps organizations streamline and consolidate their security and compliance solutions onto a single platform for greater agility, better business outcomes, and substantial cost savings.
The Qualys Enterprise TruRisk Platform leverages a single agent to continuously deliver critical security intelligence while enabling enterprises to automate the full spectrum of vulnerability detection, compliance, and protection for IT systems, workloads and web applications across on premises, endpoints, servers, public and private clouds, containers, and mobile devices. Founded in 1999 as one of the first SaaS security companies, Qualys has strategic partnerships and seamlessly integrates its vulnerability management capabilities into security offerings from cloud service providers, including Amazon Web Services, the Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, along with a number of leading managed service providers and global consulting organizations. For more information, please visit www.qualys.com.
Qualys, Qualys VMDR® and the Qualys logo are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies.
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, quotations of management and statements related to: the benefits of our existing, new and upcoming products, features, integrations, acquisitions, collaborations and joint solutions, and their impact upon our long-term growth; our ability to advance our value proposition and competitive differentiation in the market; our ability to address demand trends; our ability to maintain and strengthen our category leadership; our ability to solve modern security challenges at scale; our strategies and ability to achieve and maintain durable profitable growth; our guidance for revenues, GAAP EPS and non-GAAP EPS for the second quarter and full year 2024; and our expectations for the number of weighted average diluted shares outstanding and the GAAP and non-GAAP effective income tax rate for the second quarter and full year 2024. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include our ability to continue to develop platform capabilities and solutions; the ability of our platform and solutions to perform as intended; customer acceptance and purchase of our existing solutions and new solutions; real or perceived defects, errors or vulnerabilities in our products or services; our ability to retain existing customers and generate new customers; the budgeting cycles and seasonal buying patterns of our customers; general market, political, economic and business conditions in
The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Qualys as of the date hereof, and Qualys disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with GAAP, Qualys provides investors with certain non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Adjusted EBITDA (defined as earnings before interest expense, interest income and other income (expense), net, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation) and non-GAAP free cash flows (defined as cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment, net of proceeds from disposal).
In computing non-GAAP financial measures, Qualys excludes the effects of stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets from acquisitions, non-recurring items and for non-GAAP net income, certain tax effects. Qualys believes that these non-GAAP financial measures help illustrate underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the income or expenses that are excluded in non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP free cash flows.
Furthermore, Qualys uses some of these non-GAAP financial measures to establish budgets and operational goals for managing its business and evaluating its performance. Qualys believes that non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP net income per diluted share, Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP free cash flows provide additional tools for investors to use in comparing its recurring core business operating results over multiple periods with other companies in its industry.
Although Qualys does not focus on or use quarterly billings in managing or monitoring the performance of its business, Qualys provides calculated current billings (defined as total revenues recognized in a period plus the sequential change in current deferred revenue in the corresponding period) for the convenience of investors and analysts in building their own financial models.
In order to provide a more complete picture of recurring core operating business results, the Company's non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share include adjustments for non-recurring income tax items and certain tax effects of non-GAAP adjustments to achieve the effective income tax rate on a non-GAAP basis. The Company's non-GAAP effective tax rate may differ from the GAAP effective income tax rate as a result of these income tax adjustments. The Company believes its estimated non-GAAP effective income tax rate of
The presentation of this non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included with the financial statements contained in this press release. Management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP information in evaluating and operating its business internally and as such has determined that it is important to provide this information to investors.
Qualys, Inc. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data) | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
2024 | 2023 | ||
Revenues | $ 145,805 | $ 130,683 | |
Cost of revenues (1) | 27,198 | 26,954 | |
Gross profit | 118,607 | 103,729 | |
Operating expenses: | |||
Research and development (1) | 27,530 | 27,795 | |
Sales and marketing (1) | 29,408 | 25,628 | |
General and administrative (1) | 16,908 | 15,128 | |
Total operating expenses | 73,846 | 68,551 | |
Income from operations | 44,761 | 35,178 | |
Other income (expense), net: | |||
Interest income | 6,123 | 2,397 | |
Other expense, net | (1,399) | (216) | |
Total other income, net | 4,724 | 2,181 | |
Income before income taxes | 49,485 | 37,359 | |
Income tax provision | 9,754 | 8,254 | |
Net income | $ 39,731 | $ 29,105 | |
Net income per share: | |||
Basic | $ 1.08 | $ 0.79 | |
Diluted | $ 1.05 | $ 0.77 | |
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per share: | |||
Basic | 36,955 | 37,068 | |
Diluted | 37,723 | 37,669 | |
(1) Includes stock-based compensation as follows: | |||
Cost of revenues | $ 2,020 | $ 1,592 | |
Research and development | 5,303 | 4,960 | |
Sales and marketing | 3,739 | 2,454 | |
General and administrative | 7,969 | 7,027 | |
Total stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized | $ 19,031 | $ 16,033 | |
Qualys, Inc. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited) (in thousands) | |||
March 31, | December 31, | ||
Assets | |||
Current assets: | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 273,783 | $ 203,665 | |
Restricted cash | — | 1,500 | |
Short-term marketable securities | 179,887 | 221,893 | |
Accounts receivable, net | 115,629 | 146,226 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 36,112 | 26,714 | |
Total current assets | 605,411 | 599,998 | |
Long-term marketable securities | 89,693 | 56,644 | |
Property and equipment, net | 30,191 | 32,599 | |
Operating leases - right of use asset | 31,371 | 22,391 | |
Deferred tax assets, net | 66,565 | 62,761 | |
Intangible assets, net | 8,943 | 9,715 | |
Goodwill | 7,447 | 7,447 | |
Noncurrent restricted cash | 1,200 | 1,200 | |
Other noncurrent assets | 20,961 | 19,863 | |
Total assets | $ 861,782 | $ 812,618 | |
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | |||
Current liabilities: | |||
Accounts payable | $ 645 | $ 988 | |
Accrued liabilities | 48,246 | 43,096 | |
Deferred revenues, current | 332,128 | 333,267 | |
Operating lease liabilities, current | 10,046 | 11,857 | |
Total current liabilities | 391,065 | 389,208 | |
Deferred revenues, noncurrent | 31,311 | 31,671 | |
Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent | 27,784 | 16,885 | |
Other noncurrent liabilities | 7,420 | 6,680 | |
Total liabilities | 457,580 | 444,444 | |
Stockholders' equity: | |||
Common stock | 37 | 37 | |
Additional paid-in capital | 610,923 | 597,921 | |
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (1,007) | (1,704) | |
Accumulated deficit | (205,751) | (228,080) | |
Total stockholders' equity | 404,202 | 368,174 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 861,782 | $ 812,618 | |
Qualys, Inc. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited) (in thousands) | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
2024 | 2023 | ||
Cash flow from operating activities: | |||
Net income | $ 39,731 | $ 29,105 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: | |||
Depreciation and amortization expense | 5,239 | 7,444 | |
Provision for credit losses | 193 | 119 | |
Stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized | 19,031 | 16,033 | |
Accretion of discount on marketable securities, net | (1,915) | (259) | |
Deferred income taxes | (4,111) | (4,241) | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||
Accounts receivable | 30,404 | 19,890 | |
Prepaid expenses and other assets | (10,126) | (1,289) | |
Accounts payable | (335) | (1,215) | |
Accrued liabilities and other noncurrent liabilities | 8,892 | (2) | |
Deferred revenues | (1,498) | 1,228 | |
Net cash provided by operating activities | 85,505 | 66,813 | |
Cash flow from investing activities: | |||
Purchases of marketable securities | (61,340) | (46,010) | |
Sales and maturities of marketable securities | 71,463 | 69,709 | |
Purchases of property and equipment | (2,051) | (4,037) | |
Net cash provided by investing activities | 8,072 | 19,662 | |
Cash flow from financing activities: | |||
Repurchase of common stock | (18,029) | (66,551) | |
Proceeds from exercise of stock options | 2,770 | 2,328 | |
Payments for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards | (11,808) | (5,105) | |
Proceeds from issuance of common stock through employee stock purchase plan | 3,608 | 2,988 | |
Payment of acquisition-related holdback | (1,500) | — | |
Net cash used in financing activities | (24,959) | (66,340) | |
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | 68,618 | 20,135 | |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period | 206,365 | 176,419 | |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period | $ 274,983 | $ 196,554 | |
Qualys, Inc. RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES ADJUSTED EBITDA (unaudited) (in thousands, except percentages) | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
2024 | 2023 | ||
Net income | $ 39,731 | $ 29,105 | |
Net income as a percentage of revenues | 27 % | 22 % | |
Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment | 4,467 | 6,672 | |
Amortization of intangible assets | 772 | 772 | |
Income tax provision | 9,754 | 8,254 | |
Stock-based compensation | 19,031 | 16,033 | |
Total other income, net | (4,724) | (2,181) | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ 69,031 | $ 58,655 | |
Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenues | 47 % | 45 % | |
Qualys, Inc. RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES (unaudited) (in thousands, except per share data) | |||
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2024 | 2023 | ||
GAAP Cost of revenues | $ 27,198 | $ 26,954 | |
Less: Stock-based compensation | (2,020) | (1,592) | |
Less: Amortization of intangible assets | (747) | (747) | |
Non-GAAP Cost of revenues | $ 24,431 | $ 24,615 | |
GAAP Gross profit | $ 118,607 | $ 103,729 | |
Plus: Stock-based compensation | 2,020 | 1,592 | |
Plus: Amortization of intangible assets | 747 | 747 | |
Non-GAAP Gross Profit | $ 121,374 | $ 106,068 | |
GAAP Research and development | $ 27,530 | $ 27,795 | |
Less: Stock-based compensation | (5,303) | (4,960) | |
Less: Amortization of intangible assets | (25) | (25) | |
Non-GAAP Research and development | $ 22,202 | $ 22,810 | |
GAAP Sales and marketing | $ 29,408 | $ 25,628 | |
Less: Stock-based compensation | (3,739) | (2,454) | |
Non-GAAP Sales and marketing | $ 25,669 | $ 23,174 | |
GAAP General and administrative | $ 16,908 | $ 15,128 | |
Less: Stock-based compensation | (7,969) | (7,027) | |
Non-GAAP General and administrative | $ 8,939 | $ 8,101 | |
GAAP Operating expenses | $ 73,846 | $ 68,551 | |
Less: Stock-based compensation | (17,011) | (14,441) | |
Less: Amortization of intangible assets | (25) | (25) | |
Non-GAAP Operating expenses | $ 56,810 | $ 54,085 | |
GAAP Income from operations | $ 44,761 | $ 35,178 | |
Plus: Stock-based compensation | 19,031 | 16,033 | |
Plus: Amortization of intangible assets | 772 | 772 | |
Non-GAAP Income from operations | $ 64,564 | $ 51,983 | |
GAAP Net income | $ 39,731 | $ 29,105 | |
Plus: Stock-based compensation | 19,031 | 16,033 | |
Plus: Amortization of intangible assets | 772 | 772 | |
Less: Tax adjustment | (4,796) | (4,736) | |
Non-GAAP Net income | $ 54,738 | $ 41,174 | |
GAAP Net income per share: | |||
Basic | $ 1.08 | $ 0.79 | |
Diluted | $ 1.05 | $ 0.77 | |
Non-GAAP Net income per share: | |||
Basic | $ 1.48 | $ 1.11 | |
Diluted | $ 1.45 | $ 1.09 | |
Weighted average shares used in GAAP and non-GAAP net income per share: | |||
Basic | 36,955 | 37,068 | |
Diluted | 37,723 | 37,669 | |
Qualys, Inc. RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES FREE CASH FLOWS (unaudited) (in thousands) | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
2024 | 2023 | ||
GAAP Cash flows provided by operating activities | $ 85,505 | $ 66,813 | |
Less: | |||
Purchases of property and equipment, net of proceeds from disposal | (2,051) | (4,037) | |
Non-GAAP Free cash flows | $ 83,454 | $ 62,776 | |
Qualys, Inc. RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP DISCLOSURES CALCULATED CURRENT BILLINGS (unaudited) (in thousands, except percentages) | |||
Three Months Ended | |||
2024 | 2023 | ||
GAAP Revenue | $ 145,805 | $ 130,683 | |
GAAP Revenue growth compared to same quarter of prior year | 12 % | 15 % | |
Plus: Current deferred revenue at March 31 | 332,128 | 296,516 | |
Less: Current deferred revenue at December 31 | (333,267) | (293,728) | |
Non-GAAP Calculated current billings | $ 144,666 | $ 133,471 | |
Calculated current billings growth compared to same quarter of prior year | 8 % | 9 % | |
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SOURCE Qualys, Inc.
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