Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the nine ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.7143.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on GEN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gen Digital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Gen Digital in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded Gen Digital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Gen Digital from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th.

Gen Digital Stock Performance

Shares of Gen Digital stock opened at $22.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Gen Digital has a 1 year low of $21.33 and a 1 year high of $32.22. The firm has a market cap of $13.69 billion, a PE ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.63.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Gen Digital had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 56.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.56 EPS. Gen Digital has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.640-0.660 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.540-2.560 EPS. Analysts expect that Gen Digital will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gen Digital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 16th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Gen Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.55%.

Insider Activity at Gen Digital

In other Gen Digital news, Director Ondrej Vlcek sold 113,674 shares of Gen Digital stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.12, for a total transaction of $3,082,838.88. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,932,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $106,662,417.60. This trade represents a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 9.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gen Digital

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Gen Digital in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 92.0% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 1,183.3% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 994 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 48.6% in the third quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 65.8% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 611 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Gen Digital Company Profile

Gen Digital (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global cybersecurity company specializing in consumer- and small-business-focused security, privacy, and identity protection solutions. The company offers a suite of products designed to safeguard devices, networks, and personal information against malware, ransomware, phishing attacks and other digital threats. With a focus on user-friendly interfaces and cross-platform compatibility, Gen Digital develops antivirus software, VPN services, parental controls, password management tools, and comprehensive identity-theft monitoring services.

Gen Digital traces its origins to the consumer software division of Symantec Corporation, which was spun off in late 2019 under the NortonLifeLock name.