Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the ten research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.2857.

GEN has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Gen Digital from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Gen Digital from $22.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Gen Digital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Gen Digital in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised Gen Digital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th.

Gen Digital Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GEN opened at $24.41 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $22.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.57. Gen Digital has a twelve month low of $17.78 and a twelve month high of $32.22. The stock has a market cap of $14.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.02. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 55.47% and a net margin of 19.46%.The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Gen Digital will post 2.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gen Digital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Monday, May 18th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Gen Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Insider Transactions at Gen Digital

In related news, Director Ondrej Vlcek sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.78, for a total transaction of $2,478,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,832,724 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $94,974,900.72. This trade represents a 2.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director John C. Chrystal acquired 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $27.06 per share, for a total transaction of $81,180.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 31,419 shares in the company, valued at $850,198.14. This represents a 10.56% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 9.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gen Digital

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gen Digital during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 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 in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Gen Digital during the 1st quarter valued at about $41,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 65.8% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 611 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,183 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.