Cozad Asset Management Inc. Sells 238,532 Shares of Gen Digital Inc. $GEN

Key Points

• Cozad Asset Management cut its Gen Digital stake by 67.7% in the first quarter, selling 238,532 shares and retaining 113,928 shares valued at approximately $2.15 million. Institutional investors collectively own 81.38% of the company.
• Gen Digital exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.67 versus the $0.65 consensus and revenue of $1.28 billion versus $1.25 billion, with revenue up 27% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $2.85 to $2.95.
• The stock was trading at $27.45, while analysts maintained an overall “Hold” rating with an average price target of $29.33. Gen Digital also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.125, equivalent to a 1.8% annual yield.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN - Free Report) by 67.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,928 shares of the company's stock after selling 238,532 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Gen Digital were worth $2,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 73,310,110 shares of the company's stock worth $1,993,302,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,313 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Gen Digital by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 30,558,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $867,565,000 after buying an additional 1,015,755 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Gen Digital by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 22,473,917 shares of the company's stock valued at $660,730,000 after buying an additional 1,406,869 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Gen Digital by 22.3% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 19,941,546 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,211,000 after buying an additional 3,640,451 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its position in Gen Digital by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 15,644,289 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,336,000 after buying an additional 1,954,712 shares during the period. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gen Digital Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GEN opened at $27.45 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $25.62 and a 200 day moving average of $23.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The company has a market capitalization of $16.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.37 and a beta of 1.21. Gen Digital Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.78 and a 52 week high of $32.22.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 55.47% and a net margin of 19.46%.The business's revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. Gen Digital has set its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.680-0.700 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.850-2.950 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Gen Digital Inc. will post 2.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gen Digital Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 18th. Gen Digital's payout ratio is 31.65%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GEN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Gen Digital in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on Gen Digital from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Argus raised Gen Digital to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Gen Digital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, June 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Gen Digital from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $29.33.

Insider Activity

In other Gen Digital news, Director Ondrej Vlcek sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.78, for a total value of $2,478,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,832,724 shares in the company, valued at approximately $94,974,900.72. The trade was a 2.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John C. Chrystal bought 3,000 shares of Gen Digital stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $27.06 per share, with a total value of $81,180.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 31,419 shares of the company's stock, valued at $850,198.14. This represents a 10.56% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 9.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gen Digital 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.

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