Big acquisition is paying off

Article Excerpt

GEN DIGITAL INC. $21 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol GEN; High-Growth Dividend Payer Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 640.7 million; Market cap: $13.5 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%; 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. The company last raised its quarterly dividend by 66.7% in December 2019. The annual rate of $0.50 a share yields 2.4%. In its fiscal 2024 second quarter, ended September 29, 2023, revenue rose 26.7%, to $948 million from $748 million a year earlier. That’s mainly due to the Avast purchase. Earnings before one-time items also rose 12.6%, to $303 million from $269 million. Due to more shares outstanding, per-share earnings gained just 4.4%, to $0.47 from $0.45. Gen Digital is a buy. buy. …