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Qualys, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 9 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 raised, 4 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 11% in the quarter: Revenue was $188.0 million, up from $169.9 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenue was $545.9 million against $493.8 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP diluted EPS rose to $2.12: Non-GAAP net income was 40% of revenues in both periods. Nine-month non-GAAP diluted EPS was $6.04, against $5.20 a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year revenue guidance raised: The full-year revenue range was raised at both ends, against the August range of $732.0 million to $738.0 million. Source
  • Calculated billings grew 14%: Calculated current billings were $211.9 million, up from $186.4 million a year earlier. Billings growth in the prior quarter was 16%. Source
  • InstaScan launched for detection: InstaScan correlates new advisories with asset, exposure and threat telemetry, aiming to remove the multi-day detection gap of traditional scan cycles. Source
  • Fourth-quarter revenue guided $191-193M: Management expects 9% to 10% growth over the same quarter of 2025, with the range given for the first time in this release. Source

“Increasing adoption of our AI-native Risk Operations Center, driven by our partner-first strategy, reflects accelerating demand for a vendor-neutral platform that actually fixes security issues rather than just reporting them.”

Sumedh Thakar, Qualys president and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue Sourcefull year 2026$736.9 million to $738.9 millionRaised from $732.0 million to $738.0 million
GAAP net income per diluted share Sourcefull year 2026$6.08 to $6.15Raised from $5.76 to $5.90
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share Sourcefull year 2026$8.07 to $8.14Raised from $7.74 to $7.88
GAAP effective income tax rate Sourcefull year 202622%
Non-GAAP effective income tax rate Sourcefull year 202620%Kept
Weighted average diluted shares Sourcefull year 2026approximately 35.5 million
Revenue Sourcefourth quarter 2026$191.0 million to $193.0 millionNew
GAAP net income per diluted share Sourcefourth quarter 2026$1.57 to $1.64New
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share Sourcefourth quarter 2026$2.05 to $2.12New
Weighted average diluted shares Sourcefourth quarter 2026approximately 35.5 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year revenue range raised; low end moved from $732.0 million to $736.9 million, high end from $738.0 million to $738.9 million. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year GAAP and non-GAAP diluted EPS ranges both raised from the August ranges. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter 2026 revenue guidance issued in this release, after the third-quarter range given in August. Source
  • New: InstaScan introduced in Enterprise TruRisk Management as a scanless vulnerability detection capability. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 11% in the quarter: Revenue was $188.0 million, up from $169.9 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenue was $545.9 million against $493.8 million. Source
  • GAAP net income rose 14%: GAAP net income was 30% of revenues in both periods. Nine-month GAAP net income was $160.2 million against $145.2 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP diluted EPS rose to $2.12: Non-GAAP net income was 40% of revenues in both periods. Nine-month non-GAAP diluted EPS was $6.04, against $5.20 a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 9%: Adjusted EBITDA was 48% of revenues, against 49% a year earlier. Nine-month Adjusted EBITDA was $257.0 million, or 47% of revenues. Source
  • Full-year revenue guidance raised: The full-year revenue range was raised at both ends, against the August range of $732.0 million to $738.0 million. Source

Costs, margins and profit

  • GAAP gross margin slipped to 83%: Non-GAAP gross margin was 85% in both periods. Cost of revenues rose to $31.4 million from $27.8 million. Source
  • Sales and marketing grew fastest: Sales and marketing expense was $40.9 million, up from $35.3 million, the fastest-growing of the three operating expense lines. Stock-based compensation in operating expenses was $18.2 million. Source
  • GAAP operating margin stayed at 35%: GAAP operating income was $66.3 million, up from $60.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin was 46%: Non-GAAP operating income was $87.1 million, up 9% from $80.0 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses rose to $72.2 million from $64.9 million. Source

“These results distinguish our competitive position in pre-breach risk management and reinforce our confidence in long-term growth.”

Sumedh Thakar, Qualys president and CEO

Billings and deferred revenue

  • Calculated billings grew 14%: Calculated current billings were $211.9 million, up from $186.4 million a year earlier. Billings growth in the prior quarter was 16%. Source
  • Current deferred revenue grew: Current deferred revenue was $411,958 thousand at September 30, up from $388,075 thousand at June 30. Source
  • Receivables fell from year-end: Accounts receivable, net was $148.9 million at September 30, down from $171.0 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Operating cash flow rose 13%: Operating cash flow was 54% of revenues, against 53% a year earlier. Nine-month operating cash flow was $256.7 million, against $233.7 million. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow reached $249.5 million: Non-GAAP free cash flow was $249.5 million for nine months, against $229.5 million. Purchases of property and equipment were $7.2 million in the period. Source
  • Share repurchases rose to $185.6 million: Repurchases of common stock totaled $185.6 million in the nine months, against $138.8 million a year earlier. Proceeds from stock option exercises were $65.6 million. Source
  • Cash and securities higher at quarter end: Cash and cash equivalents were $357.2 million, up from $250.3 million at December 31, 2025. Short-term marketable securities were $163.6 million and long-term $287.3 million. Source

Products and platform launches

  • InstaScan launched for detection: InstaScan correlates new advisories with asset, exposure and threat telemetry, aiming to remove the multi-day detection gap of traditional scan cycles. Source
  • TruRisk Eliminate capabilities expanded: TruRisk Eliminate added AI-powered Patch Reliability Scoring, wave-based autonomous remediation and peer-to-peer patching. Management said these reduce dependency on centralized infrastructure. Source
  • TotalAI governance extended: TotalAI added discovery of AI agents and MCP servers, red-team testing against OWASP Top 10 and EU AI Act standards, and audit-ready evidence generation. Source

Fourth-quarter guidance

  • Fourth-quarter revenue guided $191-193M: Management expects 9% to 10% growth over the same quarter of 2025, with the range given for the first time in this release. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP EPS guided $1.57-$1.64: The GAAP diluted EPS range assumes a 21% effective income tax rate, on about 35.5 million diluted shares for the quarter. Source
  • Fourth-quarter non-GAAP EPS guided $2.05-$2.12: The non-GAAP diluted EPS range assumes a 20% non-GAAP effective income tax rate. Source

Customers and analyst recognition

  • Customer base above 10,000 organizations: The company describes its customer base as more than 10,000 organizations globally, including most of the Fortune 100. Source
  • Analysts recognized Qualys across categories: Qualys received the highest score for best current offering in the 2026 Forrester Wave for Proactive Security Platforms, and was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide DAST. Source

Coming up, as management said on 9 November 2026

  • Next guidance covers Q4 and full year: Guidance for the fourth quarter and full year 2026 was issued as of November 9, 2026. No date for the next guidance update is stated. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Calculated current billings Source$211.9 million, up 14%
Customers Sourcemore than 10,000 organizations
Current deferred revenue Source$411,958 thousand at September 30, 2026

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Management said the non-GAAP tax rate could change with tax legislation, geographic mix shifts and other events, and may be adjusted during the year. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Third-quarter revenue was reported at $188.0 million, against the August range of $185.5 million to $187.5 million.
  • Not stated: Management now gives $736.9 million to $738.9 million, replacing the August range of $732.0 million to $738.0 million. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.