Seek Returns

GEN vs. PLTR: Gen Digital vs. Palantir Stock Comparison

How do Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR) 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 Palantir (PLTR) both belong to the Software industry, though GEN is classified under Systems Software while PLTR falls under Application Software.

Gen Digital (GEN) has more than two decades of public-market history since June 23, 1989, whereas Palantir (PLTR) listed on September 30, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
Profile ItemGENPLTR
NameGen Digital Inc.Palantir Technologies Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorInformation TechnologyInformation Technology
GICS Industry GroupSoftware & ServicesSoftware & Services
GICS IndustrySoftwareSoftware
GICS Sub-IndustrySystems SoftwareApplication Software
Market Capitalization17.67 billion USD386.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNasdaq
Listing DateJune 23, 1989September 30, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GEN
PLTR
GSPC
Loading price history…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR), 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

Loading price history…
Trailing total returns for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
Total Return (1Y)18.20%-4.94%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.57%109.97%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)5.70%47.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GEN
PLTR
GSPC
Loading price history…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR), 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

Loading price history…
Distribution of monthly total returns for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)43.30%60.50%
Beta (5Y)1.231.63
Max Drawdown (5Y)-48.41%-75.26%
Avg. Volume (3M)8.39M27.20M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
GEN and PLTR 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 Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.32-0.15
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.50-0.24

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Gen Digital (GEN) at 46.40% and Palantir (PLTR) at 40.91% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

40.91%

Max
53.85%
PLTR
40.91%
Q3
17.90%
Median
6.59%
Q1
-9.59%
Min
-50.52%
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their ROE against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) at 50.34% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Gen Digital (GEN) at 23.07% also retains a top-quartile 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%

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

50.34%

PLTR
50.34%
Max
41.17%
Q3
15.28%
Median
4.63%
Q1
-5.42%
Min
-33.17%
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their net margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Gen Digital (GEN) at 37.40% and Palantir (PLTR) at 46.89% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

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%

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

46.89%

PLTR
46.89%
Max
46.89%
Q3
17.64%
Median
8.73%
Q1
-2.13%
Min
-30.45%
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
ROE (TTM)46.40%40.91%
ROA (TTM)8.94%19.31%
Net Margin (TTM)23.07%50.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)37.40%46.89%
Gross Margin (TTM)77.41%84.74%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both companies are growing quickly, but Palantir (PLTR) at 56.18% is the standout with revenue growth above its industry range; Gen Digital (GEN) at 27.06% also sits in the top quartile.

Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both companies show strong earnings momentum, but Palantir (PLTR) at 231.06% is the standout with EPS growth above its industry range; Gen Digital (GEN) at 52.43% also sits in the top quartile.

Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
Revenue Growth (YoY)27.06%56.18%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)14.66%32.92%
EPS Growth (YoY)52.43%231.06%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-10.09%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Palantir (PLTR) at 7.10 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

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

7.10

PLTR
7.10
Max
5.11
Q3
2.77
Median
1.67
Q1
1.01
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Palantir (PLTR) at 0.02 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while Gen Digital (GEN) at 2.96 is above its industry debt-to-equity ratio range.

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

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

0.02

Max
2.52
Q3
1.13
Median
0.40
Q1
0.07
PLTR
0.02
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): 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 Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.377.10
Debt / Equity (MRQ)2.960.02
Net Debt / EBITDA3.02-3.08

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) 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%

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PLTR
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Palantir (PLTR) 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%

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

0.00%

PLTR
0.00%
Max
0.00%
Q3
0.00%
Median
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.63%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)25.38%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 15.12 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while Palantir (PLTR) at 112.94 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

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

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

112.94

PLTR
112.94
Max
112.94
Q3
60.32
Median
32.91
Q1
18.77
Min
6.69
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 3.38 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Palantir (PLTR) at 53.02 clears its benchmark range — PLTR 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

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

53.02

PLTR
53.02
Max
17.91
Q3
8.78
Median
4.25
Q1
2.23
Min
0.02
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Gen Digital (GEN) at 6.45 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Palantir (PLTR) at 34.41 prices above its benchmark range — PLTR looks rich relative to book.

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

PLTR

Software & Services industry group

34.41

PLTR
34.41
Max
16.63
Q3
8.50
Median
4.30
Q1
1.92
Min
-3.90
Loading chart…
Gen Digital (GEN) vs. Palantir (PLTR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Software & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Gen Digital (GEN) and Palantir (PLTR)
MetricGENPLTR
P/E Ratio (TTM)15.12112.94
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.3853.02
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.4534.41
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)10.25%0.69%