Canadian Halal Investor.

NASDAQ Shariah screener · October 2026

Is Gen Digital Inc. (GEN) Halal?

FAIL

Gen Digital Inc. · NASDAQ: GEN · Technology

The short answer

Gen Digital fails this Shariah screener at the debt gate: it carries about $8,196M of interest-bearing debt (66.2% of its ~$12.38 billion market cap), far over the 33% ceiling. Its consumer cybersecurity business passes the business gate, and interest income of about 0.50% of revenue is under the 5% ceiling - but debt alone disqualifies it.

Gate 1 — Business activity: PASS

Gate 1 — business activity: PASS (with note). Gen Digital Inc., per its FY2026 Form 10-K (fiscal year ended April 3, 2026, filed May 21, 2026), is a consumer cybersecurity company: Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, CCleaner, and ReputationDefender — security, privacy, and identity-protection software and services for consumers and small businesses.

It is not an interest-based lender and is not involved in tobacco, gambling, pork, or conventional banking or insurance. For transparency, the FY2026 acquisition of MoneyLion includes a Credit Builder Loan product: the 10-K reports net interest income on notes receivable of $18 million in FY2026 (about 0.36% of net revenues) — a small interest-earning line inside an otherwise software business, not the core. In September 2026 the Financial Times reported a preliminary acquisition proposal for GoDaddy; no deal has been announced. The business passes gate 1 — the stock fails this screener at gate 2.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: FAIL

Gate 2 — interest-bearing debt: FAIL (66.2%, ceiling 33%). Gen Digital's FY2026 Form 10-K consolidated balance sheet (April 3, 2026) shows current portion of long-term debt of $181 million plus long-term debt of $8,015 million — total interest-bearing debt of about $8,196 million. (The MD&A lists total debt principal of $8,275 million: $5,825 million of term loans plus $2,450 million of senior notes.)

Against a market capitalization of about $12.38 billion (Finnhub, October 2, 2026), that is about 66.2% — far over the 33% ceiling. The leverage reflects the 2022 NortonLifeLock–Avast combination and subsequent acquisitions; in FY2026 the company refinanced with a $750 million Incremental Term Loan B and a $2,741 million Extended Term Loan A. The company states it was in compliance with all debt covenants as of April 3, 2026. Cash and cash equivalents of about $402 million represent about 3.2% of market cap. The stock fails this screener at the debt gate.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: PASS

Gate 3 — non-compliant income: PASS (0.50%, ceiling 5%) — moot; overall FAIL at gate 2. Gen Digital's FY2026 Form 10-K separately discloses interest income of $25 million in the MD&A non-operating income table, against net revenues of $5,000 million — about 0.50%, under the 5% ceiling (FY2025: $28 million).

Separately, the 10-K reports net interest income on notes receivable of $18 million (FY2026) from the MoneyLion Credit Builder Loan product, included within net revenues. Even combined ($43 million, about 0.86% of revenue), the figure is under the ceiling — but it does not change this screener's result, which is a FAIL at the debt gate.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does Gen Digital do?

Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GEN) is a US consumer cybersecurity company whose brands include Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, CCleaner, and ReputationDefender. Per its FY2026 Form 10-K (fiscal year ended April 3, 2026), it sells security, privacy, and identity-protection software and services to consumers and small businesses. In FY2026 it acquired MoneyLion, a fintech platform offering credit-building and financial products. In September 2026 the Financial Times reported Gen had submitted a preliminary acquisition proposal for GoDaddy - no deal has been announced and both companies declined to comment.

Is Gen Digital's business Shariah compliant?

Gen Digital's core business is consumer cybersecurity software and services (Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, CCleaner, ReputationDefender) - not interest-based lending, and not involved in tobacco, gambling, pork, or conventional banking or insurance. For transparency: its FY2026 acquisition of MoneyLion includes a Credit Builder Loan product, on which the 10-K reports net interest income on notes receivable of $18 million in FY2026 (about 0.36% of revenue) - a small interest-earning line, not the core business. Assessed on the filed business description, the business passes this screener's first gate; the stock fails this screener at the debt gate instead.

How much interest-bearing debt does Gen Digital have?

Gen Digital's FY2026 Form 10-K balance sheet (April 3, 2026) shows current portion of long-term debt of $181 million plus long-term debt of $8,015 million - total interest-bearing debt of about $8,196 million (the MD&A lists total debt principal of $8,275 million: $5,825 million term loans plus $2,450 million senior notes). Against a market capitalization of about $12.38 billion (Finnhub, October 2, 2026), that is about 66.2% - far over the 33% ceiling, so the stock fails this screener's debt gate. The leverage comes from the 2022 NortonLifeLock-Avast combination and subsequent acquisitions, and debt was refinanced in FY2026 ($750 million Incremental Term Loan B, $2,741 million Extended Term Loan A).

How much interest income does Gen Digital earn?

Gen Digital's FY2026 Form 10-K separately discloses interest income of $25 million in the Management's Discussion section (non-operating income/expense table), against net revenues of $5,000 million - about 0.50%, under the 5% ceiling (FY2025: $28 million). Separately, the 10-K reports net interest income on notes receivable of $18 million (FY2026) from the MoneyLion Credit Builder Loan product, which is included in net revenues. Cash and cash equivalents of about $402 million at April 3, 2026 represent about 3.2% of market capitalization. The interest-income figure does not change this screener's result, which is a FAIL at the debt gate.

What do third-party Shariah screeners say about Gen Digital?

Zoya publishes a GEN page citing FY2026 figures ($5,000,000,000 revenue) under its AAOIFI methodology; the page's rendered text flags GEN as not Shariah-compliant, consistent with this screener's FAIL, though the text fetch is partly garbled so the rating should be treated as directionally consistent rather than fully verified. I could not verify a Musaffa rating page for GEN or a ShariaPortfolio rating from public sources. Third-party screeners apply different assumptions and update on different schedules, and their results can change when new financial statements are published - always check the latest screening before investing.

Sources

Screened 2026-10-02 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).