CSCO - Cisco Systems, Inc.
56.13 0.00 (0.00%)
After hours: 5:57PM EDT
| Previous Close | 56.05 |
| Open | 56.04 |
| Bid | 56.16 x 1000 |
| Ask | 56.25 x 2200 |
| Day's Range | 55.77 - 56.37 |
| 52 Week Range | 40.25 - 57.56 |
| Volume | 17,378,085 |
| Avg. Volume | 20,098,162 |
| Market Cap | 240.277B |
| Beta (3Y Monthly) | 1.09 |
| PE Ratio (TTM) | 19.48 |
| EPS (TTM) | 2.88 |
| Earnings Date | Aug 14, 2019 |
| Forward Dividend & Yield | 1.40 (2.50%) |
| Ex-Dividend Date | 2019-07-03 |
| 1y Target Est | 58.63 |
- American City Business Journals•7 hours ago
Here are Silicon Valley’s top 10 CEOs, as ranked by their employees
It isn’t easy leading a major company in Silicon Valley, where the pressure to compete is intense, for both disruptive products and talent. Still, a number of Silicon Valley CEOs again rose to the top of this year’s list of top CEOs, as ranked by anonymous employee review site Glassdoor.
- Bloomberg•14 hours ago
Huawei’s Troubles Are a Big Opportunity for Ericsson and Nokia
(Bloomberg) -- Over the past two decades, China’s Huawei Technologies Co. has come to dominate the global telecom equipment market, winning contracts with a mix of sophisticated technology and attractive prices. Its rise squeezed Europe’s Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB, which responded by cutting jobs and making acquisitions. Now, with Huawei at the center of a U.S.-China trade war, the tide is turning.Nokia and Ericsson—fierce rivals themselves—have recently wrested notable long-term deals from Huawei to build 5G wireless networks, to enable everything from autonomous cars to robot surgery. Analysts say more could come their way as Huawei grapples with a U.S. export ban and restrictions from other governments concerned that its equipment could enable Chinese espionage.“Huawei will, for the foreseeable future, face a broader cloud of suspicion,” said John Butler, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence in New York. “Nokia and Ericsson are well positioned to benefit.”In May, the European companies both won 5G contracts from SoftBank Group Corp.’s Japanese telecom unit, replacing Huawei and Chinese peer ZTE Corp. Ericsson signed a similar pact in March with Denmark’s biggest phone company, TDC A/S, which had worked with Huawei since 2013 to modernize and manage its network.Other carriers, expecting government curbs on Huawei, have started removing its equipment from sensitive parts of their systems. BT Group Plc is taking Huawei out of its network core, and Vodafone Group Plc has suspended core equipment purchases from Huawei for its European networks. Deutsche Telekom AG, which has Huawei throughout its 4G system, is re-evaluating its purchasing strategy.Nokia and Ericsson are Europe’s final survivors of a merciless winnowing of more than a half-dozen telecom equipment providersAs dozens of phone companies—including those in Canada, Germany and France—plan to choose 5G suppliers in the coming months, Cisco Systems Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. are also vying for deals. But the key beneficiaries of Huawei’s difficulties are likely to be the two Europeans, which compete directly with the Chinese company in supplying radio-access network equipment.Since last year, the Trump administration has pushed allies to bar Huawei from 5G, citing risks about state spying—allegations the company has denied. The move in May to block Huawei’s access to U.S. suppliers escalated the campaign. The company’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, now predicts the U.S. sanctions will cut its revenue by $30 billion over the coming two years.Outside the U.S., security concerns have led Australia, Japan and Taiwan to bar Huawei from 5G systems. The Chinese company also risks losing meaningful work in Europe and emerging markets where countries could follow with their own limits, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.Publicly, executives from Nokia and Ericsson have been careful not to come off as critical of Huawei. Both manufacture in China and sell gear to Chinese phone carriers, and Nokia has a big research and development presence there. Nokia says it has already been forced to shift some of its supply chain away from China to reduce the impact of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.QuicktakeHow Huawei Became a Target for GovernmentsInstead of piling on Huawei, the European carriers have trumpeted their 5G successes, each using slightly different metrics. Ericsson claims it has the most publicly announced 5G contracts—21—while Nokia says it has raked in more commercial 5G deals than any other vendor (42). Huawei says it has signed 46 5G contracts. A spokesman for Huawei declined to comment further about its position relative to rivals.Ericsson is “first with 5G,” after building high-speed networks for companies such as AT&T Inc., Swisscom AG in Switzerland and Australia’s Telstra Corp., said Chief Technology Officer Erik Ekudden. “You see that in some markets that we are attracting more customers.”Nokia is winning 5G deals “quite handsomely,” Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Suri told Bloomberg TV on June 10.While Suri said more carriers are likely to swap out Huawei gear in countries that have announced restrictions, the situation is less clear in Europe. “We don’t know yet the impact of specific operator plans,” he said in an interview. “We also don’t know where this geopolitical thing will end up.”Nokia and Ericsson are Europe’s final survivors of a merciless winnowing of more than a half-dozen telecom equipment providers. Bloated costs, a cyclical marketplace, cash-strapped customers, and the relentless rise of Huawei—aided by access to generous Chinese state financing—helped push the likes of Canada’s Nortel Networks Corp. and Germany’s Siemens AG out of the industry.Nokia paid some $2 billion in 2013 to buy Siemens out of a joint venture established to compete against Ericsson and Huawei. Then in 2015, it spent another almost $18 billion acquiring Alcatel-Lucent to broaden its product offering after pushing through more than 25,000 job cuts in the preceding three years. Still, Huawei’s share of the $33 billion of sales in the global mobile infrastructure market surged to 31% in 2018 from 13% in 2010, IHS Markit data show.Huawei, despite its troubles, remains a potent rival. Many phone companies in Europe deem its base stations, switches and routers technologically superior. Fully excluding Huawei and ZTE from 5G would raise radio-access network costs for European phone companies by 40%, or 55 billion euros ($62 billion), the GSMA industry group predicts in an unpublished report seen by Bloomberg. Nokia and Ericsson would have to almost double production to absorb Huawei and ZTE’s business in Europe and could struggle to meet demand, the GSMA report says.Quicktake5G and EspionageBengt Nordstrom, CEO of telecom consultancy Northstream AB, says the situation is perilous for everyone in the industry, as vendors’ budgets could be hit if Huawei faces greater restrictions. “Many component suppliers are already in a tough situation,” Nordstrom said. “They need to spend a lot of money on research, and that means they need access to the entire global market.”For carriers, swapping vendors isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It takes about two years to plan and implement such a technology shift and install the new equipment, Nordstrom said.Both Nokia and Ericsson are working to make it easier for carriers to switch. Nokia has developed what it calls a “thin layer” of its 4G technology to connect to a new 5G system, allowing a carrier to avoid a wholesale swap of another supplier’s equipment. Ericsson also has a solution to allow a carrier to swap out only a portion of existing infrastructure, and says it can make some areas work side-by-side with Ericsson’s 5G gear.Nokia and Ericsson can agree on one thing: Claims of Huawei’s technological superiority are overblown. They note that they’re involved in the latest networks in the U.S., where carriers are rolling out 5G faster than the Europeans.“We compete quite favorably with Huawei,” Suri said, “with or without the current security concerns.”(Updates to add Nokia and Ericsson production estimate in sixth-last paragraph. An earlier version of the story corrected the ninth paragraph to reflect that Telstra Corp. is an Australian company.)\--With assistance from Caroline Hyde, Kati Pohjanpalo and Angelina Rascouet.To contact the authors of this story: Stefan Nicola in Berlin at snicola2@bloomberg.netNiclas Rolander in Stockholm at nrolander@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, David RocksFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Investing.com•15 hours ago
Stocks - U.S. Futures Flat Ahead of Fed Rate Decision
- InvestorPlace•yesterday
Nasdaq Today: Chip Stocks Surge on Improving Trade-War Rhetoric
At one point on Tuesday, the Nasdaq was up about 2% on the day. Although the index eased off those gains going into afternoon trading, investors didn't completely take their foot off the gas.Source: Shutterstock Thanks to positive comments from President Donald Trump, the Nasdaq jumped 1.39% on the day, outperforming both the Dow Jones and S&P 500, which climbed 1.35% and 0.97%, respectively.So what did Trump say to cause such a rally? Well, the very opposite of what he said to derail the stock market rally last month. As trade-war worries flood Wall Street and wreak havoc on conference calls, the President tweeted that he, "Had a very good telephone conversation with President Xi of China. We will be having an extended meeting next week at the G-20 in Japan. Our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting."InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsThis sent tech stocks, and in particular, chip stocks soaring on the day. In tech, the trade war has impacted everything from customer demand to declining margins thanks to increased tariffs. Some of the industry has been able to shake off the woes -- like Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) -- but not everyone has been so lucky. Biggest Winners in the Nasdaq TodayChipmakers stole the show Tuesday, as Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD), Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) -- here's how to trade AVGO stock -- all scorched higher on the day. * 5 Stocks to Buy for $20 or Less AMD raced higher by 4.3%, while Nvidia jumped 5.4% and Broadcom rallied 4.5%. The mere idea that the trade war talks could improve was enough to send these stocks skyward. It has got many on Wall Street wondering just how compressed this group is thanks to the friction between China and the White House. If the trade-war rhetoric remains positive ahead of the G-20 summit, it's possible for this group to continue higher.That said, investors also have to be aware of the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. There's only a 24% chance of a rate cut announcement at this meeting, so most investors aren't expecting one yet. But they will be looking for a more dovish stance from the Fed, particularly following the European Central Bank's accommodative stance this week, and given the fact that the futures market is pricing in a 98% chance for at least one rate cut by December.So that's something to be aware of.NAND and DRAM players were also in the spotlight. Micron (NASDAQ:MU) jumped 5.7%, while equipment makers like Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) and Applied Material (NASDAQ:AMAT) rallied 4.6% and 4.5%, respectively. Click to Enlarge Adobe Systems (NASDAQ:ADBE) is on investors' radar too, as it gears up to report second-quarter earnings after the close. Consensus expectations call for earnings of $1.78 per share on revenue of $2.7 billion. Those estimates suggest year-over-year growth of 18.5% and 23.2%, respectively.Finally, Microsoft is shaking off any worries about the trade war as shares hit new all-time highs. MSFT closed at $135.16, up 1.74%, while rallying almost 10% so far this month. Bottom Line on the Nasdaq TodayThe trade war is what dragged the Nasdaq from its all-time highs in early May. But a resolution is likely what will vault the index back up to them. The markets came into June in an oversold condition, but the bounce was most telling. After the Nasdaq, S&P 500 and Dow all rallied to start the month, the bears weren't able to push it back down.That action is important, suggesting that a larger rally was brewing after some consolidation. That extension could be taking place now, but we still have the Fed to get through.Fed Chair Powell has not been the smoothest talker when it comes to FOMC events, so it will be interesting to see how the market reacts tomorrow. A dovish Fed could ignite stocks even higher, while a hawkish Fed could undo many of today's nice gains. The same rally/puke potential exists with the President's Twitter account.All said, it was a very strong day for the Nasdaq today, although Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) was a noteworthy laggard.The social media giant finally announced its Libra cryptocurrency. While this was anything but a secret, it was interesting to see FB give up all of its Tuesday gains. Ending slightly lower on the day, down 29 basis points, is not what many investors had in mind given the strength in tech.The bottom line: Watch the Fed on Wednesday.Bret Kenwell is the manager and author of Future Blue Chips and is on Twitter @BretKenwell. As of this writing, Bret Kenwell is long AMD, NVDA and AVGO. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 5 Red-Hot IPO Stocks to Buy for the Long Run * 5 Stocks to Buy for $20 or Less * 4 Dow Jones Stocks Ready to Rise Compare Brokers The post Nasdaq Today: Chip Stocks Surge on Improving Trade-War Rhetoric appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Investor's Business Daily•yesterday
Chip Stocks Drive Nasdaq Rally; Caterpillar, Apple Hoist Dow Jones Industrial Average
Facebook, Beyond Meat and Cisco were early risers Tuesday, as stocks bolted higher and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added to its strong June advance.
- Simply Wall St.•2 days ago
Does Cisco Systems, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:CSCO) CEO Pay Matter?
Chuck Robbins became the CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in 2015. First, this article will compare CEO...
- Schaeffer's Investment Research•2 days ago
Signal Says Buy The Dip on this Blue Chip
A bullish signal just sounded on the charts for CSCO
- Zacks•2 days ago
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: LM Ericsson, Cisco Systems, Ubiquiti Networks, Microsoft and Motorola Solutions
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: LM Ericsson, Cisco Systems, Ubiquiti Networks, Microsoft and Motorola Solutions
- Zacks•2 days ago
Cisco Partners American Well to Boost Telehealth Services
Cisco (CSCO) is working with American Well to develop hardware which connects to the TV at home and monitors patient's health to advance telehealth services.
- Zacks•5 days ago
AVGO Stock Fell After Broadcom Lowered Guidance, Semiconductor Stocks Follow
Broadcom (AVGO) presented their second quarter earnings on Thursday after market close, and the call, as described by CNBC's Jim Cramer, was "truly depressing."
- American City Business Journals•5 days ago
The Funded: VMware buys Avi Networks; 12 Bay Area startups raise over $500M
Five acquisitions and a dozen funding deals that raised over $500 million top the Bay Area's venture news at the end of the week.
- Zacks•5 days ago
Best ETFs to Invest in 5G Theme
5G technology will be a game changer; here are the stocks and ETFs that will benefit most
- Zacks•5 days ago
Is Cisco Systems (CSCO) Outperforming Other Computer and Technology Stocks This Year?
Is (CSCO) Outperforming Other Computer and Technology Stocks This Year?
- Zacks•5 days ago
Why Is Cisco (CSCO) Up 0.4% Since Last Earnings Report?
Cisco (CSCO) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.
- PR Newswire•5 days ago
American Well® and Cisco to Expand Telehealth in the Home, Via the T.V.
BOSTON, June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- American Well®, a leading U.S. telehealth company, today announced it is working with Cisco Systems to extend care delivery from hospitals and health systems into the home. For this initiative, the companies will leverage their respective expertise in healthcare infrastructure and collaboration technology, to transform the telehealth options currently available to elder patients. Initial plans include converting in-home television sets into American Well patient CarePoints for broad based, telehealth care delivery.
- Zacks•5 days ago
Palo Alto Completes PureSec Buyout, Boosts Prisma Strategy
PureSec will be integrated into Palo Alto's (PANW) Prisma cloud security platform, enabling the latter to add end-to-end serverless application security to its capabilities.
- Zacks•5 days ago
Buy 5 Top High-Yielding Tech Stocks That Still Hold Momentum
Resolution of trade conflict with Mexico and high expectation of rate cut by the Fed enabled the technology sector to recover lost ground in June.
- PR Newswire•5 days ago
Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Cisco to Host a Tech Talk on Cisco's Security Business
SAN JOSE, Calif. , June 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cisco will host a conference call with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Gee Rittenhouse, Senior Vice President and GM of Cisco's Security Business Group, ...
- InvestorPlace•5 days ago
Is 5G Adoption Finally The Long-Awaited Catalyst For Nokia Stock?
It's difficult to categorize Nokia (NYSE:NOK) as anything but a disappointment. Nokia shares have lost two-thirds of their value over the past decade. Recent performance hasn't been much better: NOK stock touched a 52-week low just last month.Source: Shutterstock The sense of disappointment goes beyond the stock price. This is a company that's offered promise repeatedly in recent years, with multiple potential catalysts for growth. The sale of its phone business to Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) in 2013 brought in over $7 billion in cash, which was supposed to allow the Finnish tech company to focus on its networking business. The acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent was a supposed game-changer in driving so-called end-to-end sales.Nokia launched the Nokia 8 in 2017 to try and become a player in the smartphone business. It predicted the development of 5G wireless would be a significant driver for growth.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsNone of those catalysts have played out. Nokia stock continues to drift downward. Revenue rose 1% in constant currency last year. Adjusted earnings declined.Nokia's CEO seems to insist that this time is different -- and he may be right. But investors would be wise to keep a skeptical attitude until he finally delivers on that promise. 5G and the Case for NOK StockHistory aside, there is an intriguing case for Nokia stock at the moment. NOK is cheap, at 13x 2020 EPS estimates. The company still has more than $2 billion in net cash on the balance sheet. And 5G development is on the way - with a major competitor potentially hamstrung. * 7 Stocks to Buy for the Coming Recession Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri addressed the company's 5G opportunity in an interview with Bloomberg this week. Suri said Nokia was competing well in 5G. China's Huawei, which clearly has taken share from Nokia in recent years, has been a target of the U.S. government based on national security concerns. But Suri argued that even that aside, "we compete quite favorably with Huawei".As for Scandinavian rival Ericsson (NYSE:ERIC), Suri claimed that Nokia wins "two-thirds of the time" when going up against them. The end-to-end offering now account for roughly half the company's pipeline of opportunities. Meanwhile, 5G demand continues to rise and Suri highlighted another opportunity in industrial IoT (Internet of Things). Suri's figures suggest demand in that part of IoT may be a bigger benefit to Nokia than 5G.Listening to Suri, it's easy to believe that NOK stock might finally be ready to rise. The opportunities are real, and substantial. European countries aren't putting the same pressure on Huawei as their U.S. counterparts, but the negative press surrounding that Chinese firm surely gives Nokia at least some sort of advantage. All told, Nokia looks ready to grow. At 13x earnings, Nokia stock isn't priced as such. Q1 Earnings and the Case Against Nokia StockThere are two problems with the case here, however. The first is that Nokia's first earnings were notably disappointing, leading NOK stock to drop 10%. And the second, again, is that Nokia has made promises before -- and had opportunities on which to capitalize.To be fair, Suri told Bloomberg that the company hadn't yet recognized revenue from signed contracts -- echoing commentary from Nokia after Q1. The company still sees significant 5G-related growth coming in the second half of the year. * 7 Dark Horse Stocks Winning the Race in 2019 But the company also admitted that full-year guidance would be tough to hit. And given the long-running credibility problems here, Nokia stock clearly has become a "show me" story. That's why investors sold so quickly after Q1 numbers: the fear is that Nokia is going to disappoint again. On the NOK Stock SidelinesThat risk colors the bull case for NOK stock, even at the lows. Networking is a tough business: even leader Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) trades at just 16x forward earnings despite notably better results of late. Ericsson stock has been dead money for a decade. The same is true of Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR). Sure, 13x earnings for Nokia stock seems cheap … but it's not amazingly so in the context of the sector.Meanwhile, as intriguing as 5G appears, Nokia itself expects its addressable market to stay flat in 2019. Any revenue growth will have to come from market share gains and -- despite Suri's commentary and Huawei's struggles -- it's tough to have confidence in Nokia's ability to compete. It certainly hasn't done so in recent years.Nokia can prove skeptics wrong - and if it does, Nokia stock will gain. But until there's more than just optimistic talk backing up its growth potential, those skeptics, myself included, aren't changing their mind.As of this writing, Vince Martin has no positions in any securities mentioned. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 7 High-Quality Cheap Stocks to Buy With $10 * 7 U.S. Stocks to Buy With Limited Trade War Exposure * 6 Growth Stocks That Could Be the Next Big Thing Compare Brokers The post Is 5G Adoption Finally The Long-Awaited Catalyst For Nokia Stock? appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Investopedia•5 days ago
How a Star IPO of 2019 Is Beating Microsoft, Cisco and Google
Cloud-based video collaboration company Zoom Video Communications has risen by about 63% since its April IPO.
- American City Business Journals•6 days ago
Trump administration denies Tesla request for Chinese tariff exemptions on key components
The Trump administration has reportedly denied requests from Tesla for exemptions from the country’s tariffs on imported Chinese car parts, saying the parts were “strategically important” to the Chinese economy.
- InvestorPlace•6 days ago
5 Great Dividend Stocks to Buy From the Tech Sector
When most investors hunt for dividend stocks, the technology sector is often not on their shopping list. The perception is that most technology firms need and are forced to plow every extra cent back into their businesses in order to fuel growth. As a result, tech stocks are seen as a strictly capital appreciation element for a portfolio.However, this isn't true at all. Tech stocks make for amazing dividend stocks.The reality is, that many firms in the tech sector are cash flow and profit machines. Thanks to surging revenues and high margins, mature tech firms simply mint money at this point. So much, in fact, that many have too much money sitting on their balance sheets. To rid themselves of that excess cash, many tech stocks have started paying some hefty dividends. And they have been growing those dividends by leaps and bounds too.InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading TipsIn the end, when looking for dividend stocks, the technology sector should be the first stop for portfolios rather than an afterthought. But which tech stocks have what it takes to be considered good dividend stocks as well? * 7 High-Quality Cheap Stocks to Buy With $10 Here are five that are worthy of consideration. Cisco (CSCO)Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 2.45%No list of dividend stocks in the tech sector can be written without the firm that started the modern trend of payouts from tech. We're talking about Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO). CSCO started paying a token dividend back in 2011 and hasn't looked back, growing that payout by more than 480%. And it's easy to see why Cisco has become such a dividend stalwart.Sensing a slowdown in networking, router and physical equipment sales, CSCO started to pivot into more software and services. Cloud computing, cybersecurity and other such products have quickly become big-time money makers for the firm. Perhaps, more importantly, these sales come with higher margins, reoccurrence and the ability to add value/upsell networking transactions. "We just built you this massive network for your cloud operations. Would you like us to secure it as well?"Because of this, CSCO has become a cash flow giant. Last quarter alone, the firm managed to see a 16% jump in operating cash flows once adjusting to overseas taxes paid for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Meanwhile, cash on CSCO's balance sheet has swelled to more than $34.6 billion.With sales of software/services continuing to rise, CSCO should be able to keep bringing in the cash for the long haul. Even better is that the growth in data centers and 5G networking is once again boosting equipment sales.At the end of the day, Cisco is one of the best dividend stocks to buy -- tech sector not. Seagate Technology (STX)Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 5.75%Like previously mentioned Cisco, Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX) may seem like a relic from the dot-com days. However, STX has managed to see plenty of new life in recent years. The key is data center demand is making one heck of a dividend stock.For many years after the dot-com bust, STX struggled. The rise of mobile and tablet computing crimped PC sales. At the same time, flash-based solid-state drives (SSD) hit Seagate's platter-based hard disk drives (HDDs) right in the wallet. SSDs are faster, smaller, and more power-efficient. Manufacturers liked these facts and started favoring them in PCS and other devices. As a result, STX stocks stagnated and was looking like a lost cause.That is until cloud computing and data center demand started to take over.It turns out, those building out networks and data centers prefer capacity over speed. That makes HHDs much better suited for this application. Since Seagate dove into SSD production -- like rival Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) -- it's been able to reap the full benefits of this expansion. Year to date, STX has managed to produce $1.3 billion in cash flow from operations and $862 million in free cash flows from higher drive demand. * 6 Growth Stocks That Could Be the Next Big Thing And naturally, Seagate has been rewarding investors with that extra cash. Today, shares yield a tech-sector high 5.75%. Apple (AAPL)Source: Yuanbin Du Via FlickrDividend Yield: 1.58%225 billion.That's a big number. It also happens to be the amount of cash Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has on its balance sheet. This makes the consumer tech company one of the most cash-rich firms on the planet. That fact alone could make it a big buy. But the fact that Apple has quickly become one of the leading dividend stocks and continues to increase its buyback programs makes it a big buy right now.The key is that Apple has been able to use its vast cadre of devices to sell apps, music, movies and games. This helps Apple produce plenty of cash flows. Meanwhile, its shift into various services and other add-ons for its customers have only enhanced its cash flows further. So, even though AAPL has been handing out plenty of cash to investors, its over cash balance continues to hover over that $200 billion mark. Last year, Apple spent more than $74 billion on buybacks and raised its dividend by roughly 5.5%.With new devices hitting the markets and a focus on building out content for those devices, Apple should have no problem growing that cash balance far into the future. That should make dividend investors happy. And while there are some risks with revenue slowdowns and Chinese trade, that massive cash pile provides such a huge cushion to keep the dividend grow going.With that, Apple is still one of the best dividend stocks around. Equinix (EQIX)Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 1.95%One of the biggest trends in tech continues to be the growth of cloud computing and mobile access. Any time you use an app to go shopping or check your bank balance, you're tapping into a data center far away. It turns out that's a very good business to be in. Just ask Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX).EQIX is the world's largest owners of these data centers -- with more than 200 under its umbrella. The key is that EQIX doesn't actually own or really operate the centers, it's a real estate investment trust (REITs). That is, it owns the specialized buildings and rents space inside to firms to build their required computing needs. It's essentially an apartment building owner for computers.Given the continued surge in data center demand from e-commerce, cloud computing, and mobile operations, EQIX has been sitting pretty over the last few years. Revenues and funds from operations rose by 14% and 12%, respectively in the first quarter of the year. This continues the REITs string of strong performance. The FFO growth is of particular interest as this cash flow directly translates into how much money a REIT can hand back as dividends to its shareholders.On that front, EQIX has been a champion as well. The data center giant has paid plenty of special stock dividends to its shareholders and has managed to grow its cash payout by 45% since 2014. * 7 Dark Horse Stocks Winning the Race in 2019 With continued demand for data centers assured, EQIX is the best dividend stock to play tech's backbone. Shares currently yield 1.95%. First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend ETF (TDIV)Source: Shutterstock Dividend Yield: 2.97%Considering that this list didn't even touch such amazing tech dividend stocks like Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) or even Texas Instruments (NYSE:TXN), one approach could be to think broad. There are plenty of tech ETFs on the market, but only the First Trust NASDAQ Technology Dividend ETF (NYSEArca:TDIV) tackles the sector with a dividend approach.The $1 billion fund tracks an index that screens for tech stocks that have paid a regular or common dividend within the past 12 months and haven't cut the payout either. This provides exposure to all the top names in tech that pay dividends -- currently at 83 different stocks. This includes all the names on this list as well. That focus also throws off a surprising amount of income as well. Today, TDIV has an SEC 30-day yield of nearly 3%. That's' better than the S&P 500 and current yields on Treasury bonds.And as a total return component, TDIV has been top notch. Since its inception in 2012, the ETF has roughly doubled in share price and managed to produce an average annual return of around 12%. That's around the same as the S&P 500. The key is that TDIV has been less volatile than the broader index. Less volatile than all the tech stocks in the broader index as well. The secret is in the power of the dividends.All in all, for investors looking to score some hefty dividends from tech and take advantage of the sector's growth, TDIV could be the best way to capture those benefits.Disclosure: At the time of writing, Aaron Levitt did not have a position in any stock mentioned. More From InvestorPlace * 4 Top American Penny Pot Stocks (Buy Before June 21) * 7 High-Quality Cheap Stocks to Buy With $10 * 7 U.S. Stocks to Buy With Limited Trade War Exposure * 6 Growth Stocks That Could Be the Next Big Thing Compare Brokers The post 5 Great Dividend Stocks to Buy From the Tech Sector appeared first on InvestorPlace.
- Investor's Business Daily•6 days ago
DevOps: A Digital Shift That Turns Any Firm Into A Software Maker
Software companies are rushing into the market known as DevOps. DevOps tools enable all types of corporations to develop software faster as part of digital transformation projects.
- Benzinga•6 days ago
As Oil Prices Jump, Energy Shares Help Fuel Market Rally
Without too much in the way of news on the U.S.-China trade front, higher crude prices and a rebound in chipmakers seem to be helping bring buying sentiment back to the market Thursday morning after yesterday’s tepid session. Oil prices rose this morning on news that two oil tankers were damaged in suspected attacks in the Middle East. In addition to gains in the Energy sector, chipmakers are also having a good morning.
