Acquisition will spur Gen higher

Article Excerpt

GEN DIGITAL INC. $17 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol GEN; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 639.1 million; Market cap: $10.9 billion; Dividend yield: 2.9%; Dividend Sustainability Rating: Average; www.gendigital.com) changed its name from NortonLifeLock (old symbol NLOK) following its September 2022 acquisition of European cybersecurity firm Avast plc for $8.1 billion. Gen is now the parent company for several security-related brands, including Norton, LifeLock, and Avast, in addition to Avira, AVG, and CCleaner—both obtained in previous acquisitions. The company last raised its quarterly dividend by 66.7% in December 2019. The new annual rate of $0.50 a share yields 2.9%. Gen will probably earn $1.78 a share in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. The stock trades at just 9.6 times the estimate. That’s a particularly attractive multiple as it spends a high 10% of its revenue on research. Gen Digital is a buy. buy. …