Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-29 · Permanent

Gen Digital logoGen Digital GEN

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Gen Digital Inc.

The label
Markup

read at $27.58

Gen Digital holds its Markup at $27.58.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-29
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 11 days
Price$27.58
Valuation17.02 trailing · 8.39 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta1.21

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 22% discount to our $33.75 fair value, moderate competitive moat, 27.00% revenue growth.

Read at
$27.58
17.02 P/E · 8.39 fwd
Our fair value
$33.75
22% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$27.00
-2% to current
Target low $22.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $46.00
▲ current $27.58 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$48.3$31.4$14.4TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$46.00 +86%Conservative$33.75 +36%Our fair value$33.75 +36%Analyst avg$27.00 +9%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$27.58
you are here
Conservative
$33.75
+22%
Analyst avg
$27.00
-2%
Our fair value
$33.75
+22%
Analyst high
$46.00
+67%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our model sees value the Street hasn't fully caught up to yet.

Revenue growth27.00%
Profit margin19.46%
Debt to equity316.35
Analyst consensusBuy · 10 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its debt ratio. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is 53.7% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.7% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 7.6% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.7% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Cyber safety name trips on ethical debt

Every time a laptop gets protected from ransomware or a family shields its photos online, Gen Digital collects the fee. The business looks solid on paper with 27% revenue growth, 19% profit margins and 40% ROE, yet we pass. The ethical screen flags excessive debt and that single failure overrides the rest.

Forward earnings sit at just 8.1 times and our model shows a 26% margin of safety to fair value, but the debt ratio knocks it out before valuation even matters. Analyst targets cluster near the current price anyway, so the cheap multiple brings little extra comfort.

High returns on equity can mask leverage that leaves little room when credit conditions tighten. We keep the screen strict for exactly these cases.

Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E8.4x
cheap for a company growing this fast
Trailing P/E17.0x
reasonably valued
Revenue growth27.0%
strong top-line growth
Profit margin19.5%
healthy profit margins
Return on equity39.9%
an exceptional return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity3.16
heavy leverage — higher risk if revenue softens
Current ratio0.40
below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta1.21
moves a little more than the market
Market cap$16.5B

The risks · The things to watch: it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in GEN's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

GEN trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 4.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 16%. The street (9 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $30. Entered 2026-07-31 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-31 Markup $27.58 +4.9% Entry 4

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 4.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 16%. The street (9 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $30.

2026-07-18 Markup $26.28 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are down 14%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 16%. The street (9 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $30.

2026-07-03 Markup $26.28 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $26.28 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · GEN
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-05-08 KO BRYAN SEUK Chief Operating Officer 135,118 ·
2026-05-08 DERSE NATALIE MARIE Chief Financial Officer 135,118 ·
2026-05-08 PILETTE VINCENT Chief Executive Officer 498,896 ·
2026-05-04 KO BRYAN SEUK Chief Operating Officer 182,909 $3,590,504
2026-05-04 DERSE NATALIE MARIE Chief Financial Officer 243,878 ·
2026-05-04 PILETTE VINCENT Chief Executive Officer 695,051 ·
2026-02-17 DERSE NATALIE MARIE Chief Financial Officer 794 $18,754
2026-02-13 KO BRYAN SEUK Chief Operating Officer 905 $18,247
2026-02-13 DERSE NATALIE MARIE Chief Financial Officer 794 $16,009
2026-02-13 PILETTE VINCENT Chief Executive Officer 795 $16,029

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming GEN
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
5 Jun2026 Gil Cisneros Democrat buy 1K–15K
5 Jun2026 David Taylor Republican buy 1K–15K
30 Apr2026 Dave McCormick Republican sell 500K–1M
27 May2026 John Boozman Republican buy 1K–15K
27 May2026 Ro Khanna Democrat buy 1K–15K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $22.28 +11.2% $0.13 $1,118 +11.8%
2 months $17.79 +39.3% $0.13 $1,400 +40.0%
3 months $20.89 +18.7% $0.13 $1,193 +19.3%
6 months $27.49 -9.8% $0.25 $911 -8.9%
1 year $28.96 -14.4% $0.50 $873 -12.7%
2 years $23.58 +5.1% $1.00 $1,093 +9.3%
3 years $16.77 +47.8% $1.50 $1,567 +56.7%
5 years $25.75 -3.8% $2.50 $1,059 +5.9%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever GEN does next, these words stay.

Gen Digital · GEN · Markup · $27.58
Recorded 2026-07-29 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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