Barclays Lowers Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Price Target to $26.00

Key Points

• Barclays cut Gen Digital's price target from $32 to $26 and kept an "equal weight" rating, with the new target implying roughly a 42.7% upside from the prior close.
• MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target of $31.86 and mixed analyst views (1 Strong Buy, 2 Buy, 6 Hold).
• Gen Digital reported $0.64 EPS (vs. $0.63 expected) and revenue up 25.8% YoY, but the stock trades near its 12‑month low (~$18.23) and carries a high debt/equity ratio of 3.50 with a market cap around $11B.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by stock analysts at Barclays from $32.00 to $26.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Barclays's price target indicates a potential upside of 42.66% from the company's previous close.

GEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gen Digital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. Zacks Research raised Gen Digital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Gen Digital in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Gen Digital in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Gen Digital from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Gen Digital currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $31.86.

Gen Digital Price Performance

Gen Digital stock opened at $18.23 on Monday. Gen Digital has a 12 month low of $17.78 and a 12 month high of $32.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 1.15.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 56.76% and a net margin of 12.76%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.56 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts predict that Gen Digital will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,703,712 shares of the company's stock worth $71,757,000 after acquiring an additional 28,522 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gen Digital in the 1st quarter worth approximately $205,000. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 37.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 27,590 shares of the company's stock worth $732,000 after buying an additional 7,562 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Gen Digital by 9.7% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 22,347 shares of the company's stock valued at $593,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Gen Digital by 221.5% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,717 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Gen Digital

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.