Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Gen Digital an average recommendation of "Hold" from nine firms (seven Hold, two Buy) with a 12‑month average price target of $32.71.
• Gen Digital topped Q4 estimates with $0.64 EPS (vs. $0.63 est.) and $1.24B revenue (up 25.8% YoY) and issued Q4 2026 guidance of $0.640–0.660 and FY2026 guidance of $2.540–2.560 EPS.
• Shares trade around $22.61 (50‑day $24.50, 200‑day $26.63) with a $13.69B market cap, a declared quarterly dividend of $0.125 (a 2.2% yield), recent insider selling, and about 81% institutional ownership.

Shares of Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.7143.

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

Gen Digital Price Performance

Gen Digital stock opened at $22.61 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $24.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.63. Gen Digital has a 12 month low of $21.33 and a 12 month high of $32.22. The company has a market cap of $13.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.31, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50.

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

Gen Digital Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 16th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. Gen Digital's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.55%.

Insider Activity at Gen Digital

In related news, Director Ondrej Vlcek sold 113,674 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,932,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $106,662,417.60. The trade was a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 9.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Gen Digital by 1.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,703,712 shares of the company's stock worth $71,757,000 after buying an additional 28,522 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gen Digital in the 1st quarter valued at about $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 valued at $732,000 after acquiring an additional 7,562 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,183 shares during the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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