Gen Digital (GEN)
Gen Digital is the tech giant behind household names like Norton and Avast, helping people stay safe and private while they spend time online.
Is Gen Digital a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Gen Digital is the tech giant behind household names like Norton and Avast, helping people stay safe and private while they spend time online.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only - reinvesting the dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Becoming the dominant global platform for digital safety.
Major technological shifts making traditional antivirus software less relevant.
What does Gen Digital do?
Gen Digital provides cybersecurity and identity protection software to millions of consumers worldwide. They make their money through subscription fees, where users pay a recurring amount to keep their devices and personal data shielded from digital threats. The real test is whether they can keep existing customers signed up while drawing in new ones in an increasingly crowded digital world.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on growth and momentum, and weakest on income.
- ✓Pays a dividend - about 1.8% a year
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 27% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 19% of sales into profit
- !Carries a lot of debt - roughly 3.2x its equity
- ✓Strong return on shareholder money (ROE 40%)
- Growth screens high (88/100)
- High profit margins suggest a very efficient business model.
- Strong brand recognition through Norton and Avast.
- Recurring subscription revenue provides a predictable income stream.
- Rapid changes in technology could make current products obsolete.
- Data breaches within the company could severely damage its reputation.
- Higher beta suggests the stock price may be more volatile than the wider market.
What do Gen Digital's numbers mean?
How much money does Gen Digital make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Gen Digital pay a dividend?
Yes - Gen Digital currently pays a dividend of about 1.8% a year (the yearly payout as a share of the price). A dividend is a slice of profit handed to shareholders; the yield moves as the price moves, and a company can cut or stop it.
When does Gen Digital report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Gen Digital is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-06 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-07 | $0.65 | $0.67 | Beat +3% |
| 2026-02-05 | $0.63 | $0.64 | Beat +1% |
| 2025-11-06 | $0.61 | $0.62 | Beat +2% |
| 2025-08-07 | $0.60 | $0.64 | Beat +7% |
| 2025-05-06 | $0.58 | $0.59 | Beat +1% |
| 2025-01-30 | $0.55 | $0.56 | Beat +2% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Gen Digital came in ahead of what analysts expected 6 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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NetApp, Inc.What are the scenarios for Gen Digital?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Gen Digital?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- High profit margins suggest a very efficient business model.
- Strong brand recognition through Norton and Avast.
- Recurring subscription revenue provides a predictable income stream.
- The cybersecurity market is extremely competitive.
- Recent share price performance has been sluggish.
- High reliance on consumer spending which can be sensitive to economic changes.
- Rapid changes in technology could make current products obsolete.
- Data breaches within the company could severely damage its reputation.
- Higher beta suggests the stock price may be more volatile than the wider market.
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A significant, sustained drop in the number of paying subscribers.
- A major shift in how operating systems handle built-in security, reducing the need for third-party software.
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.