Which Is a Better Investment, DigitalOcean Holdings Inc or Qualys Inc Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
September 14, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the IT Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc.

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates an agentic inference cloud platform in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company provides AI and Digital Native Enterprises build, run, and scale intelligent applications for growing technology companies. It also offers infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) solutions comprising compute, storage, and networking products, including cloud firewalls, managed load balancers, NAT gateways, and virtual private cloud software, as well as IP address management and domain name system management. In addition, the company provides platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions, such as managed databases; managed Kubernetes and container registry; application platform to build, deploy, and scale applications; Functions, a serverless compute solution; and Uptime for real-time uptime and latency alerts, as well as managed hosting and DigitalOcean Marketplace, a platform where developers can find pre-configured applications and solutions. Further, it offers artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) applications comprising GPU droplets; bare metal GPUS, which provides access to a GPU server without any virtualization layer and gives developers with customizable server for their use case; and Jupyter Notebooks that provides cloud workspace and managed interactive development environment for exploring data and training, and building machine learning models. Its customers use its platform in various industry verticals, such as online gaming, fintech, and cybersecurity, as well as for a range of use cases, including building and hosting websites, web and mobile applications development, AI integration, and building AI products and applications. DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado.

Qualys, Inc. provides cloud-based platform delivering information technology (IT), security, and compliance solutions in the United States and internationally. The company provides Qualys Cloud Apps, which include cybersecurity asset management; enterprise TruRisk management; vulnerability management, detection, and response; total application security; patch management; custom assessment and remediation; multi-vector endpoint detection and response; policy audit; and file integrity monitoring. It offers TotalCloud, a cloud-native application protection platform, which include cloud workload protection, cloud detection and response, cloud security posture management, infrastructure as code, SaaS security posture management, cloud infrastructure and entitlement management, and Kubernetes and container security. In addition, the company markets and sells IT, security, and compliance solutions; offers Qualys' Enterprise TruRisk platform that enables customers to identify and manage IT and operational technology assets; collect and analyze IT security data; discover and prioritize vulnerabilities; quantify cyber risk exposure; recommend and implement remediation actions; and verify the implementation of such actions. Further, it offers asset tagging and management; reporting and dashboards; questionnaires and collaboration; remediation and workflow; big data correlation and analytics engine; and alerts and notifications. The company offers its solutions to enterprises, government entities, and small and medium-sized businesses in various industries, including education, financial services, government, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, media, retail, technology, and utilities through its sales teams, as well as through security consulting organizations, managed service providers, resellers, cloud providers, and consulting firms. Qualys, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in Foster City, California.

Latest IT Services and DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys, Inc. Stock News

As of September 11, 2026, DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. had a $14.5 billion market capitalization, compared to the IT Services median of $822.0 million. DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc.’s stock is up 148.7% in 2026, up 6.4% in the previous five trading days and up 259.61% in the past year.

Currently, DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 58.5. DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 23.3% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 28.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.457 per share for the current fiscal year. DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 11, 2026, Qualys, Inc. had a $5.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 68th percentile of all stocks. Qualys, Inc.’s stock is up 29.9% in 2026, up 0.6% in the previous five trading days and up 14.26% in the past year.

Currently, Qualys, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 26.1. Qualys, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $703.0 million with a 29.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 11.0%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $7.794 per share for the current fiscal year. Qualys, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company Ticker Value
DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. DOCN F
Qualys, Inc. QLYS D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. has a Value Score of 2, which is Ultra Expensive. Qualys, Inc. has a Value Score of 25, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys or Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. DOCN C
Qualys, Inc. QLYS A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. has a Quality Score of 41, which is Average. Qualys, Inc. has a Quality Score of 99, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: Qualys, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Quality Grade breakdown above, Qualys, Inc. has a better overall quality grade than DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc.. For investors who are looking for companies with higher quality than others in the same industry, Qualys, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolios. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. DOCN A
Qualys, Inc. QLYS B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 82, which is Very Positive. Qualys, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 79, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Qualys, Inc.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc. Grades

In addition to Estimate Revisions, Quality and Value, A+ Investor also provides grades for Growth and Momentum.

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Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys or Inc. Stock?

Overall, DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 2, Estimate Revisions Score of 82 and Quality Score of 41.

Qualys, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 25, Estimate Revisions Score of 79 and Quality Score of 99.

Comparing DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc., Qualys and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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