Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Reaches New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $22.12 and last traded at $22.30, with a volume of 2006153 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $22.34.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on GEN shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Gen Digital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Gen Digital from $33.00 to $29.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Gen Digital in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gen Digital from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Gen Digital from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Gen Digital presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $35.29.

Gen Digital Stock Up 0.0%

The stock has a market capitalization of $13.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.09. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $25.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.27.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 56.76% and a net margin of 12.76%.The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. Gen Digital’s quarterly revenue was up 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Gen Digital Inc. will post 2.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gen Digital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Gen Digital’s payout ratio is presently 51.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gen Digital

In related news, Director Ondrej Vlcek sold 113,674 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.12, for a total transaction of $3,082,838.88. Following the sale, the director owned 3,932,980 shares in the company, valued at $106,662,417.60. This represents a 2.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gen Digital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Choreo LLC increased its position in shares of Gen Digital by 3.2% in the second quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 10,116 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its stake in Gen Digital by 3.9% in the second quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 9,505 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Gen Digital by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 16,210 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,255 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 48.6% in 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 during the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by 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.