BSY vs. GEN: Bentley Systems vs. Gen Digital Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN) both belong to the Software industry, though BSY is classified under Application Software while GEN falls under Systems Software.

Gen Digital (GEN) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 23, 1989, whereas Bentley Systems (BSY) listed on September 23, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Profile Item	BSY	GEN
Name	Bentley Systems, Incorporated Class B Common Stock	Gen Digital Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Information Technology	Information Technology
GICS Industry Group	Software & Services	Software & Services
GICS Industry	Software	Software
GICS Sub-Industry	Application Software	Systems Software
Market Capitalization	13.50 billion USD	17.67 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	September 23, 2020	June 23, 1989
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BSY

GEN

GSPC

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
Total Return (1Y)	-2.57%	18.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-3.01%	18.57%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-5.13%	5.70%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BSY

GEN

GSPC

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	41.49%	43.30%
Beta (5Y)	0.92	1.23
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-53.94%	-48.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)	2.67M	8.39M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BSY and GEN are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.17	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.25	0.50

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 26.03% and Gen Digital (GEN) at 46.40% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

26.03%

Max: 53.85%
BSY: 26.03%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

GEN

Software & Services industry group

46.40%

Max: 53.85%
GEN: 46.40%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
Min: -50.52%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 19.57% and Gen Digital (GEN) at 23.07% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

19.57%

Max: 41.17%
BSY: 19.57%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

GEN

Software & Services industry group

23.07%

Max: 41.17%
GEN: 23.07%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 29.81% and Gen Digital (GEN) at 37.40% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

29.81%

Max: 46.89%
BSY: 29.81%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

GEN

Software & Services industry group

37.40%

Max: 46.89%
GEN: 37.40%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
ROE (TTM)	26.03%	46.40%
ROA (TTM)	7.73%	8.94%
Net Margin (TTM)	19.57%	23.07%
Operating Margin (TTM)	29.81%	37.40%
Gross Margin (TTM)	82.37%	77.41%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Gen Digital (GEN) at 27.06% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.99% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for GEN.

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Gen Digital (GEN) at 52.43% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 18.06% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for GEN.

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	10.99%	27.06%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.97%	14.66%
EPS Growth (YoY)	18.06%	52.43%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.62%	-10.09%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.65 and Gen Digital (GEN) at 0.37 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.65

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
BSY: 0.65
Min: 0.03

GEN

Software & Services industry group

0.37

Max: 5.11
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
GEN: 0.37
Min: 0.03

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.94 is near its industry mid-range for debt-to-equity ratio, while Gen Digital (GEN) at 2.96 sits above its benchmark range, pointing to a heavier debt load relative to equity.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.94

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
BSY: 0.94
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

GEN

Software & Services industry group

2.96

GEN: 2.96
Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.65	0.37
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.94	2.96
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.12	3.02

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 0.62% and Gen Digital (GEN) at 1.63% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

0.62%

BSY: 0.62%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GEN

Software & Services industry group

1.63%

GEN: 1.63%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 27.72% and Gen Digital (GEN) at 25.38% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

27.72%

BSY: 27.72%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GEN

Software & Services industry group

25.38%

GEN: 25.38%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.62%	1.63%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	27.72%	25.38%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 15.12 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 44.21 is closer to its industry’s usual earnings multiple — a discount for GEN, though growth and earnings durability still matter.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

44.21

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
BSY: 44.21
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69

GEN

Software & Services industry group

15.12

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
GEN: 15.12
Min: 6.69

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Bentley Systems (BSY) at 8.19 and Gen Digital (GEN) at 3.38 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

8.19

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
BSY: 8.19
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

GEN

Software & Services industry group

3.38

Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
GEN: 3.38
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 6.45 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Bentley Systems (BSY) at 10.79 carries an above-peer premium to book — BSY is pricier on assets.

BSY

Software & Services industry group

10.79

Max: 16.63
BSY: 10.79
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

GEN

Software & Services industry group

6.45

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
GEN: 6.45
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
Min: -3.90

Bentley Systems (BSY) vs. Gen Digital (GEN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Bentley Systems (BSY) and Gen Digital (GEN)
Metric	BSY	GEN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	44.21	15.12
P/S Ratio (TTM)	8.19	3.38
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	10.79	6.45
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.74%	10.25%