GEN vs. MSTR: Gen Digital vs. Strategy Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR) 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

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

Company profile comparison for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Profile Item	GEN	MSTR
Name	Gen Digital Inc.	Strategy 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	Systems Software	Application Software
Market Capitalization	17.67 billion USD	54.57 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	Nasdaq
Listing Date	June 23, 1989	June 11, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GEN

MSTR

GSPC

Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Strategy (MSTR), 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 Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
Total Return (1Y)	18.20%	-48.13%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.57%	36.44%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	5.70%	7.87%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GEN

MSTR

GSPC

Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Strategy (MSTR), 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 Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Strategy (MSTR) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.60, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Gen Digital (GEN) is closer to market-like at 1.23 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Risk profile metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	43.30%	82.34%
Beta (5Y)	1.23	3.60
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-48.41%	-84.09%
Avg. Volume (3M)	8.39M	22.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GEN and MSTR 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 Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	-0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.50	-0.97

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Strategy (MSTR) reports a negative ROE of -21.59%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports 46.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

-21.59%

Max: 53.85%
Q3: 17.90%
Median: 6.59%
Q1: -9.59%
MSTR: -21.59%
Min: -50.52%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 23.07% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Strategy (MSTR) at 0.00%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

Max: 41.17%
Q3: 15.28%
Median: 4.63%
MSTR: 0.00%
Q1: -5.42%
Min: -33.17%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Strategy (MSTR) reports a negative operating margin of -2.07%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports 37.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

-2.07%

Max: 46.89%
Q3: 17.64%
Median: 8.73%
MSTR: -2.07%
Q1: -2.13%
Min: -30.45%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
ROE (TTM)	46.40%	-21.59%
ROA (TTM)	8.94%	-4.52%
Net Margin (TTM)	23.07%	0.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	37.40%	-2.07%
Gross Margin (TTM)	77.41%	67.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Gen Digital (GEN) at 27.06% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Strategy (MSTR) at 2.97% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in revenue momentum.

Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Strategy (MSTR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Gen Digital (GEN) reports EPS growth of 52.43%, ranked against its industry; Strategy (MSTR) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Strategy (MSTR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	27.06%	2.97%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	14.66%	-1.49%
EPS Growth (YoY)	52.43%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-10.09%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Strategy (MSTR) at 4.04 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Gen Digital (GEN) at 0.37 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

4.04

Max: 5.11
MSTR: 4.04
Q3: 2.77
Median: 1.67
Q1: 1.01
Min: 0.03

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Strategy (MSTR) at 0.10 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.

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

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

0.10

Max: 2.52
Q3: 1.13
Median: 0.40
MSTR: 0.10
Q1: 0.07
Min: 0.00

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.37	4.04
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	2.96	0.10
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.02	--

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Strategy (MSTR) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports a yield of 1.63%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

MSTR: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Strategy (MSTR) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports a payout of 25.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

MSTR: 0.00%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.63%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.38%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Gen Digital (GEN) trades at 15.12 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Strategy (MSTR) has no P/E ratio this period.

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

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

Max: 112.94
Q3: 60.32
Median: 32.91
Q1: 18.77
Min: 6.69
MSTR: --

Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Strategy (MSTR): MSTR does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; GEN is benchmarked against the Software & Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 3.38 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Strategy (MSTR) at 110.23 clears its benchmark range — MSTR looks notably rich on sales.

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

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

110.23

MSTR: 110.23
Max: 17.91
Q3: 8.78
Median: 4.25
Q1: 2.23
Min: 0.02

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Strategy (MSTR) at 0.98 sits in the lower P/B ratio quartile against book while Gen Digital (GEN) at 6.45 is valued near its industry’s middle — MSTR is cheaper on assets, though weigh it against ROE and asset quality.

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

MSTR

Software & Services industry group

0.98

Max: 16.63
Q3: 8.50
Median: 4.30
Q1: 1.92
MSTR: 0.98
Min: -3.90

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Strategy (MSTR)
Metric	GEN	MSTR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	15.12	--
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.38	110.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.45	0.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	10.25%	-5.94%