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

Key Points

• Jefferies upgraded Gen Digital from a "hold" to a Strong-Buy rating, though the MarketBeat consensus remains a "Hold" with one Strong Buy, two Buy and six Hold ratings.
• GEN is trading near its 12-month low (opened at $20.68) and well below the consensus price target of $32.71, implying significant upside from current levels.
• Recent results showed a slight EPS beat ($0.64 vs. $0.63), revenue up 25.8% year-over-year, and FY2026 guidance of 2.54–2.56 EPS, while the company carries a high debt-to-equity ratio (3.50).

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Gen Digital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Gen Digital in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $22.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gen Digital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 8th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Gen Digital from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $32.71.

Gen Digital Stock Down 1.5%

GEN opened at $20.68 on Wednesday. Gen Digital has a 12 month low of $20.61 and a 12 month high of $32.22. The company has a market cap of $12.53 billion, a PE ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 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. The company has a 50 day moving average of $23.94 and a 200 day moving average of $26.32.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior 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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Gen Digital will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Gen Digital

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Trust Advisors LP raised 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 worth $542,211,000 after buying an additional 3,640,451 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in shares of Gen Digital by 273.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 4,303,552 shares of the company's stock valued at $128,289,000 after purchasing an additional 3,150,651 shares during the last quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in shares of Gen Digital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,248,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Gen Digital by 36.0% during the 4th quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 8,978,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $244,131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,377,874 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 167.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,328,737 shares of the company's stock worth $90,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,082,850 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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