Should I Buy GNRC? GNRC 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Generac Holdings Inc (GNRC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

168.040

1 Day change

-1.16%

52 Week Range

203.250

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

Buy now for a beginner long-term investor. GNRC is in a clear uptrend (bullish moving averages) with multiple near-term catalysts (upcoming earnings + March analyst day narrative, plus AI/data-center backup power demand) and a recent wave of analyst upgrades. While the stock is near resistance and a bit stretched short-term, the setup still supports buying immediately rather than waiting.

Technical Analysis

Trend is bullish: SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200 confirms an uptrend. Momentum is positive but cooling: MACD histogram is +2.037 and contracting (uptrend intact, but upside pace is slowing). RSI_6 is 70.98 (hot/near-overbought), which increases the chance of a brief pullback, but does not negate the broader uptrend. Key levels: support/pivot ~167.26 (first line of defense); resistance R1 ~178.00 (near current price), then R2 ~184.63. Price is currently pressing into R1, so near-term chop is likely, but trend remains constructive. Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bearish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options positioning is mixed but slightly constructive on positioning: Open Interest put/call at 0.76 suggests more calls than puts outstanding (generally bullish/less hedged). However, the Option Volume put/call at 1.14 suggests today’s flow leaned more defensive (more puts traded than calls). Implied volatility is elevated (30D IV ~47% with IV percentile ~77.5), meaning options are pricey and the market is pricing meaningful movement into upcoming events. Notable put interest (e.g., reported demand around $150 strike) also signals investors are actively hedging downside, despite the longer-term call-leaning open interest.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

Event-driven catalysts: upcoming Q4/FY25 results and guidance (announced for Feb 11, with calendar also indicating mid-Feb pre-market timing) plus a March analyst day that bulls expect to reframe the story.
Strategic growth narrative: multiple analysts highlight accelerating diesel genset opportunity tied to hyperscale/AI data centers (backup power demand).
Sentiment shift: several recent upgrades to Buy/Overweight/Outperform (Citi, Baird, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo) indicating improving Street conviction after the prior drawdown.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Near-term fundamental pressure: management/analysts flag softness in home standby demand and a potentially weak Q1 before seasonal recovery.
Latest reported quarter trends were negative YoY (revenue, EPS, margins), which can cap valuation expansion until growth inflects.
Short-term technical risk: RSI near overbought and price near R1 (~
raises the odds of a pullback/consolidation after the recent run.
Options flow shows meaningful hedging (put-heavy volume), implying some investors are bracing for volatility around earnings.

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3 showed contraction. Revenue was $1.114B (-5.05% YoY), net income $66.2M (-41.83% YoY), EPS $1.12 (-40.74% YoY), and gross margin 36.07% (-5.53% YoY). The trend is clearly down versus last year, so the long-term bull case relies on a rebound/normalization in residential demand and/or accelerating data-center related growth to offset recent weakness.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend is improving despite some price-target trims: Citi upgraded to Buy (PT $207) and put GNRC on an upside 90-day catalyst watch; Baird upgraded to Outperform (PT $199) citing compelling risk/reward and upcoming catalysts; Wells Fargo upgraded to Overweight (PT $195) arguing the pullback created an attractive entry tied to data-center growth; JPMorgan upgraded to Overweight (PT $200). Offsetting this, Barclays remains Equal Weight and cut PT to $186, reflecting caution into near-term fundamentals. Wall Street ‘pros’ view: strong upside optionality from AI/data-center backup power and easing clean-energy drag. ‘Cons’ view: near-term residential softness and recent YoY earnings/margin declines. Trading behavior notes: hedge funds and insiders are neutral with no significant recent trend; no recent politician/congress trading data reported.

14 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast GNRC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for GNRC is 207.67 USD with a low forecast of 184 USD and a high forecast of 240 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

11 Buy

3 Hold

0 Sell

Strong Buy

Current: 170.010

Low

184

Averages

207.67

High

240

Current: 170.010

Low

184

Averages

207.67

High

240

Barclays

Equal Weight

downgrade

$197 -> $186

AI Analysis

2026-01-20

Reason

Barclays

Price Target

$197 -> $186

AI Analysis

2026-01-20

downgrade

Equal Weight

Reason

Barclays lowered the firm's price target on Generac to $186 from $197 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares as part of a Q4 preview.

Baird

Neutral -> Outperform

upgrade

$215 -> $199

2026-01-09

Reason

Baird

Price Target

$215 -> $199

2026-01-09

upgrade

Neutral -> Outperform

Reason

Baird upgraded Generac to Outperform from Neutral with a price target of $199, down from $215. The firm sees a "compelling" risk/reward at current share levels. Generac has a "variety of unique catalysts ahead" with a diesel genset opportunity and reduction of the residential clean energy EBITDA drag, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Baird likes the shares into the company's March's analyst day amid the "muted" investor sentiment.

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GNRC Should I Buy

GNRC Should I Buy

Should You Buy Generac Holdings Inc (GNRC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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