Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Price Target Raised to $32.00 at Barclays

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) had its target price hoisted by Barclays from $27.00 to $32.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on GEN. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Gen Digital from $22.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Gen Digital from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Gen Digital from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Argus raised shares of Gen Digital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Gen Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has issued a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $31.67.

Gen Digital Price Performance

GEN opened at $29.17 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $25.96 and a 200-day moving average of $23.33. The company has a market capitalization of $17.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.96 and a beta of 1.21. Gen Digital has a 1-year low of $17.78 and a 1-year high of $32.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.40.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.02. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 57.01% and a net margin of 20.73%.The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Gen Digital has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.870-2.970 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.710-0.730 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Gen Digital will post 2.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gen Digital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. Gen Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.65%.

Insider Transactions at Gen Digital

In related news, Director John C. Chrystal bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $27.06 per share, with a total value of $81,180.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 31,419 shares in the company, valued at approximately $850,198.14. This represents a 10.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Ondrej Vlcek sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $94,974,900.72. The trade was a 2.54% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 9.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,155,639 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,128,000 after buying an additional 102,345 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 9,085,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,027,000 after purchasing an additional 334,156 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA raised its holdings in shares of Gen Digital by 63.7% in the 4th quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 738,272 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,074,000 after purchasing an additional 287,369 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its stake in Gen Digital by 13.6% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 934,892 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,420,000 after purchasing an additional 112,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Gen Digital by 17.9% during the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 384,754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,245,000 after purchasing an additional 58,319 shares during the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Gen Digital News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Gen Digital reported fiscal Q1 2027 adjusted EPS of $0.71, versus the $0.69 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 6.3% year over year to $1.34 billion, topping expectations of $1.31 billion. EPS also improved from $0.64 a year earlier. Gen Digital quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2027 targets. Gen Digital now expects full-year EPS of $2.87 to $2.97 and revenue of $5.4 billion to $5.5 billion, above analyst consensus of $2.83 EPS and approximately $5.4 billion in revenue. Second-quarter EPS guidance of $0.71 to $0.73 also exceeds the $0.70 consensus estimate. Reuters report on Gen Digital’s raised forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Cybersecurity demand remains supportive. The company cited strong demand for its family of digital-security products, double-digit bookings growth and increasing online threats powered by artificial intelligence. These trends support recurring revenue and Gen Digital’s growth outlook. Gen Digital fiscal Q1 2027 results release
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target from $27 to $32 while maintaining an Equal Weight rating, suggesting additional potential upside based on the firm’s updated valuation. Benzinga analyst update
• Neutral Sentiment: Gen Digital declared a quarterly dividend of $0.125 per share. Investors of record on August 17 will receive payment on September 9. The dividend provides ongoing shareholder income, although the 1.7% yield is unlikely to be the primary catalyst for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target from $22 to $28 but retained an Equal Weight rating. The new target remains below the stock’s current trading level, signaling valuation caution despite the improved earnings outlook. Benzinga analyst update

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.