A new name but still a buy

Article Excerpt

GEN DIGITAL INC. $22 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol GEN; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 581.3 million; Market cap: $12.8 billion; Dividend yield: 2.3%; 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 will now act as 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 continues to pay regular quarterly dividends of $0.125 a share. The annual rate of $0.50 yields 2.3%. Gen expects the merger will let it cut $300 million from its annual costs within two years and help support its dividend. Annually, the dividend payout is $325 million. Gen Digital is a buy. buy…