Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Gen Digital from hold to buy, adding to a mixed but generally cautious analyst picture. Overall, the stock still carries a consensus Hold rating, with a consensus price target of $31.29.
• Gen Digital beat quarterly expectations, reporting $0.67 EPS versus $0.65 expected and $1.28 billion in revenue versus $1.25 billion expected. Revenue rose 27% year over year, and the company cited strong profitability metrics.
• The company also raised fiscal 2027 guidance to $2.85–$2.95 EPS and forecast 8%–10% revenue growth, which helped reinforce optimism about future earnings momentum.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also commented on GEN. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Gen Digital from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Gen Digital in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Gen Digital from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Gen Digital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gen Digital has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.29.

Gen Digital Stock Up 12.5%

GEN opened at $22.71 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. The company's 50-day moving average is $20.15 and its 200 day moving average is $23.90. Gen Digital has a fifty-two week low of $17.78 and a fifty-two week high of $32.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 1.10.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. Gen Digital had a net margin of 19.46% and a return on equity of 56.78%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.59 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts expect that Gen Digital will post 2.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gen Digital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GEN. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 valued at $71,757,000 after purchasing an additional 28,522 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Gen Digital during the 1st quarter valued at $205,000. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 37.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 27,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $732,000 after purchasing an additional 7,562 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,980 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position 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 buying an additional 1,183 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.38% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Gen Digital

Here are the key news stories impacting Gen Digital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Gen Digital beat quarterly expectations, with revenue and EPS both coming in above estimates, and said Trust-Based Solutions revenue surged sharply year over year. The results suggest improving growth momentum and stronger demand in cybersecurity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised fiscal 2027 guidance above Wall Street expectations, pointing to 8%–10% revenue growth and adjusted EPS of $2.85–$2.95, which reinforced optimism about future earnings power. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: RBC lifted its price target on Gen Digital to $24 from $22, signaling slightly improved analyst confidence even though the firm kept a “sector perform” rating. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gen Digital announced a quarterly dividend of $0.125 per share, which may support income-focused investors but is not a major growth catalyst by itself.

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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