Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Posted by Stanley Muller on Sep 26th, 2026

Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:GEN – Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday. 10,783,226 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 62% from the previous session’s volume of 6,644,292 shares. The stock last traded at $24.6430 and had previously closed at $26.23.

Key Stories Impacting Gen Digital

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

Positive Sentiment: Gen Digital is reportedly considering a potentially transformational acquisition of GoDaddy, which would give it access to more than 20 million small-business customers, creators and entrepreneurs. RBC said the deal could significantly broaden Gen’s cybersecurity, privacy and digital-services reach. Gen Digital Potential GoDaddy Deal Could Be Transformational, RBC Says
Positive Sentiment: Gen expanded its Agent Trust Hub with an AI Data Checker designed to help users understand how AI applications and agents handle their data. The initiative could strengthen Gen’s positioning in privacy and AI safety as adoption grows, although near-term financial benefits are unclear. AI Apps and Agents Are Taking Off. Gen Can Help People Understand What Happens to Their Data.
Neutral Sentiment: The reported GoDaddy approach is preliminary, so investors still face uncertainty regarding deal terms, financing, regulatory approval, integration costs and whether GoDaddy will accept an offer. GoDaddy shares rose sharply after the report, underscoring the strategic value perceived by the target’s shareholders. GoDaddy shares rocket after Norton owner Gen Digital takeover offer
Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lowered its Gen Digital price target from $30 to $26 and maintained a “sector perform” rating. The downgrade signals more limited upside after accounting for the acquisition uncertainty, despite the revised target remaining above the current trading level.
Neutral Sentiment: A report showing zero short interest and a zero-day short ratio provides no meaningful evidence of bearish positioning and may reflect a data or reporting anomaly.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Gen Digital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Gen Digital from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Gen Digital from $22.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Gen Digital from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Gen Digital from $27.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gen Digital presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $30.80.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Gen Digital

Gen Digital Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $12.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.68.

Gen Digital (NASDAQ:GEN – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.02. Gen Digital had a return on equity of 55.93% and a net margin of 20.73%.The company had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts predict that Gen Digital Inc. will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gen Digital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th were paid a dividend of $0.1250 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. Gen Digital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.07%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Gen Digital

In other Gen Digital news, COO Bryan Seuk Ko sold 28,248 shares of Gen Digital stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.67, for a total transaction of $866,366.16. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 744,262 shares in the company, valued at $22,826,515.54. The trade was a 3.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Travis Witteveen sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.42, for a total value of $882,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 496,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,608,353.90. The trade was a 5.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 558,508 shares of company stock worth $16,356,093 in the last 90 days. 9.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Gen Digital

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Gen Digital by 452.2% during the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake in shares of Gen Digital by 86.9% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares in the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Gen Digital during the second quarter worth about $50,000. Weiss Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Gen Digital during the first quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Gen Digital by 85.0% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares during the last quarter. 81.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gen Digital Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Gen Digital Inc (NASDAQ: GEN) is a global cybersecurity and consumer safety company that provides products designed to help individuals and families protect their devices, online identities, personal information and digital privacy. The company serves customers through a portfolio of consumer-focused cybersecurity and privacy brands.

Its products and services include antivirus and device security, identity theft protection, virtual private networks, password management, online privacy tools, scam protection and family safety features.