Wall Street Zen Downgrades Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) to Hold

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Gen Digital in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Gen Digital from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. B. Riley assumed coverage on Gen Digital in a research report on Monday, July 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $46.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Gen Digital from $32.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.71.

Gen Digital Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GEN opened at $27.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.63. The company has a market capitalization of $17.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.94. Gen Digital has a twelve month low of $22.74 and a twelve month high of $32.22. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.49.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.04. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 57.99% and a net margin of 14.12%.The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.19 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.53 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 30.3% on a year-over-year basis. Gen Digital has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.600-0.620 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.490-2.560 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Gen Digital will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gen Digital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in Gen Digital during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Gen Digital by 117.6% during the 1st quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in Gen Digital during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 221.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Gen Digital in the second quarter worth $47,000. 81.38% of the stock is 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.