Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Stock Rating Lowered by Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) from a "strong-buy" to a "hold," and several other firms have similarly cut ratings or targets, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of Hold with an average target price of $31.86 (Barclays lowered its target to $26; Wells Fargo set $22).
• Gen Digital beat Q4 expectations with EPS of $0.64 vs. $0.63 and revenue of $1.24 billion (up 25.8% year-over-year), and issued FY2026 guidance of 2.54–2.56 EPS and Q4 guidance of 0.640–0.660.
• Shares opened at $19.02, trading near a 52‑week low of $17.78 (52‑week high $32.22); the company has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a P/E of 19.61 and a relatively high debt‑to‑equity ratio of 3.50.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded Gen Digital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on Gen Digital from $32.00 to $26.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Gen Digital in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Gen Digital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Gen Digital in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $22.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the 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

Shares of NASDAQ GEN opened at $19.02 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50. The company's 50-day moving average price is $20.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.20. Gen Digital has a 52 week low of $17.78 and a 52 week high of $32.22. The stock has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 1.15.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. Gen Digital had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 56.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Gen Digital will post 2.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Gen Digital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Gen Digital by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,210 shares of the company's stock worth $441,000 after buying an additional 387 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,255 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 48.6% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its position in Gen Digital by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 2,223 shares of the company's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tealwood Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Gen Digital by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Tealwood Asset Management Inc. now owns 81,715 shares of the company's stock worth $2,222,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is 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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