GEN

What You Should Know

Gen Digital is the consumer cybersecurity company formed by the merger of NortonLifeLock and Avast. The company offers consumer-focused cybersecurity, online privacy, identity protection, and credit monitoring under the Norton, Avast, AVG, Avira, LifeLock, CCleaner, and ReputationDefender brands. Consumer cybersecurity, identity protection, and privacy software are unambiguously permissible. The Sharia consideration is the financial screen rather than the business activity screen — Gen Digital carries elevated debt from the Avast acquisition, and historically the debt-to-market-cap ratio has sat near the 33% threshold. As the company has deleveraged with strong free cash flow and the share price has appreciated, ratios have moved comfortably within Sharia thresholds at most major boards. Muslim investors should verify the most recent debt-to-market-cap ratio at their preferred screening platform before initiating a position.