Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.510-2.56 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.430. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.9 billion-$5.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.9 billion. Gen Digital also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.620-0.64 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GEN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Gen Digital from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Gen Digital from $33.00 to $29.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gen Digital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, October 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Gen Digital from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gen Digital presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.43.

Gen Digital Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ GEN traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $25.77. 9,249,467 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,019,623. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.50. Gen Digital has a 52-week low of $22.74 and a 52-week high of $32.22. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $28.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.87 billion, a PE ratio of 26.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.94.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.01. Gen Digital had a net margin of 14.12% and a return on equity of 57.99%. The business had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Gen Digital has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.510-2.56 EPS. Q3 2026 guidance at 0.620-0.64 EPS. Analysts forecast that Gen Digital will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

Gen Digital Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Gen Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.35%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gen Digital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 12.0% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 12,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Gen Digital by 45.8% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 786 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Gen Digital in the second quarter worth about $47,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 2.5% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 144,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,253,000 after buying an additional 3,596 shares during the period. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury increased its position in shares of Gen Digital by 23.9% in the second quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 232,209 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,827,000 after acquiring an additional 44,798 shares in the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Gen Digital

Gen Digital Inc engages in the provision of cyber safety solutions for consumers in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. The company offers security and performance products under Norton, Avast, Avira, AVG, and CCleaner brands that provide real-time protection and maintenance for PCs, Macs, and mobile devices against malware, viruses, adware, and other online threats.