GEN vs. PS: Gen Digital vs. Pershing Square Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

Gen Digital (GEN) has been public since June 23, 1989, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Pershing Square (PS) listed only on April 29, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Pershing Square (PS) carries a highly aggressive beta of 6.25, 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-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both GEN and PS need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Gen Digital (GEN) earns 46.40% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Pershing Square (PS) has no ROE this period.

Pershing Square (PS) reports a negative net margin of -20.98%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports 23.07%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Pershing Square (PS) reports a negative operating margin of -35.45%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports 37.40%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both companies are growing quickly, but Pershing Square (PS) at 64.66% is the standout with revenue growth above its industry range; Gen Digital (GEN) at 27.06% also sits in the top quartile.

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

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Short-term liquidity can only be read on one side of this pairing: Gen Digital (GEN) shows current ratio of 0.37 against its industry benchmark, while Pershing Square (PS) has no reading this period.

Pershing Square (PS) at 0.18 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.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Gen Digital (GEN) at 1.63% and Pershing Square (PS) at 0.24% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Pershing Square (PS) reports a negative payout ratio of -10.99%, usually because earnings are negative; the payout ratio is not a useful dividend-sustainability benchmark in that state. Meanwhile Gen Digital (GEN) reports 25.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

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

Gen Digital (GEN) at 3.38 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Pershing Square (PS) at 27.11 clears its benchmark range — PS looks notably rich on sales.

Gen Digital (GEN) at 6.45 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Pershing Square (PS) at 15.12 carries an above-peer premium to book — PS is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics