This acquisition is paying off

Article Excerpt

GEN DIGITAL INC. $17 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol GEN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 639.1 million; Market cap: $10.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.gendigital.com) changed its name from NortonLifeLock Inc. (old symbol NLOK) in September 2022 following its 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. That’s in addition to Avira, AVG, and CCleaner, which were obtained in previous acquisitions. In its fiscal 2023 fourth quarter, ended March 31, 2023, revenue rose 33.3%, to $947 million from $716 million a year earlier. With the Avast acquisition, the company now has 38.2 million customers, up 56.6% from 24.4 million. Excluding one-time items, per-share earnings were unchanged at $0.46. Gen Digital continues to spend a high 9% of its revenue on research. Those costs depress its current earnings but will help it compete in its rapidly changing industry. As…