Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Upgraded to “Buy” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Gen Digital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Gen Digital in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Gen Digital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Gen Digital from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.29.

Gen Digital Stock Up 12.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:GEN opened at $22.71 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $20.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.50, a current ratio of 0.47 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Gen Digital has a 1-year low of $17.78 and a 1-year high of $32.22.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.25 billion. Gen Digital had a net margin of 19.46% and a return on equity of 56.78%. Gen Digital’s quarterly revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Gen Digital will post 2.66 EPS for the current year.

Gen Digital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. Gen Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.65%.

Institutional Trading of Gen Digital

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 13.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 83,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,570,000 after acquiring an additional 9,893 shares during the period. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS acquired a new stake in shares of Gen Digital in the 1st quarter worth $244,000. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC lifted its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Long Road Investment Counsel LLC now owns 76,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,439,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 132.1% in the 1st quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 74,943 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after acquiring an additional 42,657 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 118.4% in the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 18,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 10,051 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.38% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Gen Digital

Here are the key news stories impacting Gen Digital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Gen Digital beat quarterly expectations, with revenue and EPS both coming in above estimates, and said Trust-Based Solutions revenue surged sharply year over year. The results suggest improving growth momentum and stronger demand in cybersecurity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised fiscal 2027 guidance above Wall Street expectations, pointing to 8%–10% revenue growth and adjusted EPS of $2.85–$2.95, which reinforced optimism about future earnings power. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: RBC lifted its price target on Gen Digital to $24 from $22, signaling slightly improved analyst confidence even though the firm kept a “sector perform” rating. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gen Digital announced a quarterly dividend of $0.125 per share, which may support income-focused investors but is not a major growth catalyst by itself.

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.