Technology

4 Merrill Lynch Buy-Rated Technology Stocks That Pay Big Dividends

One thing is for sure, after years of paying higher multiples for momentum stocks, many Wall Street firms that we cover are eyeing solid growth, reasonable multiples and good dividends. One sector that can supply all of those may surprise investors, and it’s technology. That also happens to be a sector many firms are overweight allocation-wise for the rest of this year and 2016.

We screened the Merrill Lynch research universe for technology companies that trade with a reasonable multiple; pay dividends higher than the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond, which is currently at a 2.87% yield; and are rated Buy rated. We found four that fit the bill, that could also help spark a solid year-end rally in aggressive growth portfolios.

Cisco

This is one of the top mega-cap technology stock picks on Wall Street and perhaps a surprising defensive pick for volatile markets like we have witnessed. Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) posted outstanding earnings in August, and many on Wall Street have raised their price targets for the networking giant significantly higher. Cisco is also one of the 24/7 Wall St. top 10 stocks to own for the next decade.

Earlier this year Cisco won an important contract for the Verizon build-out of the company’s next-generation 100G metro network. While Cisco’s optical business is small as a part of total revenue, this win is seen by Wall Street as a significant endorsement of the investments Cisco has made into its optics business.

Analysts across Wall Street point to an estimated double-digit bookings momentum for Cisco’s Meraki Cloud Services. Many think that Meraki is likely to be a $1 billion plus run-rate business this year, with an incredible 50% to 70% compounded annual growth rate. A jump from 40 GE to 100 GE data center switching and next generation security are also adding to the total sales profile and product mix.

Cisco investors are paid a very solid 3% dividend. The Merrill Lynch price target for the stock is $30, and the Thomson/First Call consensus target is $31.11. Shares closed Thursday at $28.15.

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Infosys

This stock has had a very solid year, and a recent pullback may offer investors a great entry point. Infosys Ltd. (NYSE: INFY) is a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing solutions. It enables clients, in more than 30 countries, to stay a step ahead of emerging business trends and outperform the competition. Infosys also helps clients transform their businesses and opportunities and thrive in a changing world by co-creating breakthrough solutions that combine strategic insights and execution excellence.

Infosys BPO, the business process outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys, focuses on integrated end-to-end outsourcing and delivers transformational benefits to its clients through reduced costs and ongoing productivity improvements.

The company announced a plan earlier this year to open a new data center in Puerto Rico. It has chosen a 12,000-square feet site in the northern municipality of Aguadilla, an aviation hub, to run its operations. It will leverage this new center to initially deliver complex order-to-cash business processes for clients in the aviation sector.

Infosys investors are paid a 3.32% dividend. The Merrill Lynch price target is $20.50, and the consensus target is $18.75. The stock closed Thursday at $17.45.

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KLA-Tencor

An upturn in the semiconductor industry this fall, and especially next year, could be huge for this industry leader. KLA-Tencor Corp. (NASDAQ: KLAC) is the world’s self-proclaimed leading provider of process control and yield management solutions. It partners with customers around the world to develop state-of-the-art inspection and metrology technologies. These technologies serve the semiconductor, LED and other related nanoelectronics industries.

Many analysts feel that the solid industry fundamentals of 3D NAND and DRAM will benefit orders in the second half of this year and revenue growth for KLA-Tencor should pick up in 2016. It also announced plans in the summer to reduce its workforce by up to 10% in an effort to streamline operations and to be better aligned with a more concentrated customer base.

Investors are paid an outstanding 4% dividend. The $65 Merrill Lynch price objective is well above the consensus target of $56.95. Shared closed Thursday at $52.65.

Qualcomm

This top technology stock has totally underperformed this year. Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) is still a Wall Street favorite, and many are sticking to their guns, basically saying that trading at current levels, the stock is at 12.6 times estimated 2016 earnings and it may be a tremendous long-term value. Qualcomm is a quality tech company with recurring royalty revenue and a strong footprint, so patient investors may fare very well.

The company is reported to be losing chip business, and activist investors Jana Partners has pressured Qualcomm, according to reports, to spin off its chip business for some time. Jana also wants it to continue to cut costs, accelerate a share buyback, improve disclosures and refresh its board, which it accomplished when two new directors were added this summer. Jana is listed as one of the company’s largest shareholders, with a reported $2 billion stake.

The growth of 3G mobile technologies in emerging markets, like China and India, has positively affected Qualcomm, and could be a difference maker going forward. Qualcomm is and has been for years a market leader in the development of 3G CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technologies. The company recently developed an LTE chipset that supports SCDMA (Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access) technology. China’s mobile network runs on this, and it could provide the company with a huge leg up in years to come.

Investors receive a 3.27% dividend. Merrill Lynch has a mammoth $80 price target. The consensus target is lower at $71.48, and shares closed Thursday at $59.26.

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While these technology leaders are still more suitable for aggressive growth accounts, the sector leadership combined with the strong dividends make them good bets for patient long-term technology investors.

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