Gen Digital management check
GEN · Information Technology · Systems Software · CEO Vincent Pilette
Filings as of
4 good · 1 to watch · 2 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Flag
Have owners done well?
Trailed its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2022 grew to $98, against $230 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Good
Does pay follow performance?
Pay rose and fell with returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of 0.56 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Flag
What does the CEO cost owners?
8.6% of net income$83.6m of reported pay in fiscal 2026, against $973.0m of net income.
- Watch
Do they own the stock?
Insiders are selling3 insiders sold $18.8m in the last six months, against $81k bought. 1 of 8 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- Good
Are owners being diluted?
Share count shrinkingDiluted shares changed -1.8% a year over the last three fiscal years. Stock-based pay was 4.7% of revenue in the latest year.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
5 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Vincent Pilette. 5 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Information Technology.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 0 | 33 | |
| Pay for performance | 78 | 87 | |
| CEO cost | 0 | 35 | |
| Skin in the game | — | — | 47 |
| Dilution | 73 | 56 | |
| Stable leadership | 100 | 85 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Systems Software, by management score. Gen Digital is 42nd of 73 in its sector.
- 63FTNTFortinet79
- 212MSFTMicrosoft68
- 346GENGen Digital58
- 351PANWPalo Alto Networks58
- 378CRWDCrowdStrike56
- 459NOWServiceNow43
- 485TWLOTwilio30
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed July 28, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Vincent Pilette | $83.6m | $33.5m | $22.2m | $98 | $230 | $973.0m |
| 2025 | Vincent Pilette | $22.5m | $33.5m | $7.6m | $134 | $175 | $643.0m |
| 2024 | Vincent Pilette | $15.4m | $29.3m | $6.2m | $112 | $165 | $607.0m |
| 2023 | Vincent Pilette | $25.3m | $5.7m | $9.0m | $83 | $113 | $1.3bn |
| 2022 | Vincent Pilette | $13.5m | $20.7m | $12.1m | $128 | $118 | $836.0m |
The board says pay is tied most to Net Revenue Growth. Its other key measures: Non-GAAP Operating Income, Non-GAAP Operating Margin, Relative Total Shareholder Return, Absolute Total Shareholder Return, Bookings Growth.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
3 insiders sold $18.8m in the last six months, against $81k bought. 1 of 8 sales ran on pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
- BoughtJohn C ChrystalDirector$81kJun 4, 2026
- SoldOndrej VlcekDirector$17.1mAug 27, 2026
- SoldTravis Michael WitteveenHead of Products and Portfolio$895kAug 17, 2026
- SoldBryan Seuk KoCOO, CLO and Secretary · 10b5-1 plan$866kSep 4, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Oct 9, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Nov 7, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 22, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 16, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- May 10, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Sep 16, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Sep 12, 2022Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Sep 11, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $3.8bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 87% of net income, and $712.0m of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.8bn | $3.3bn | $3.8bn | $3.9bn | $5.0bn |
| Net income | $836.0m | $1.3bn | $607.0m | $643.0m | $973.0m |
| Stock-based pay | $70.0m | $134.0m | $138.0m | $133.0m | $237.0m |
| Buybacks | $0 | $904.0m | $441.0m | $272.0m | $634.0m |
| Dividends | $303.0m | $314.0m | $323.0m | $313.0m | $312.0m |
| Diluted shares | 591m | 624m | 642m | 624m | 619m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.