NortonLifeLock prospers from rising cyber threats

Article Excerpt

NortonLifeLock has soared over 27% since mid-May 2021 after it reported strong results in the latest quarter. Meantime, the company continues to spend a high 10.5% of its revenue on research. Those costs depress its current earnings but will help it thrive in a rapidly changing industry. The stock is a buy. NORTONLIFELOCK $26.38, is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol NLOK; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (nortonlifelock.com; Shares o/s: 591.9 million; Market cap: $15.4 billion; Divd. yield 1.9%) has two main businesses: Norton computer antivirus software for individuals; and LifeLock identity-theft protection. NortonLifeLock continues to attract new customers as more people working from home spurs a jump in cyberattacks. It, in fact, closed its fiscal 2021 fourth quarter, ended April 2, 2021, with 23.0 million customers. That’s up 13.9% from a year earlier. However, due to the sale of less-important businesses, overall revenue in the quarter rose just 9.4%, to $672 million from $614 million. Earnings before restructuring costs and other unusual items…