4 Tech Dividend Stocks to Buy Now

Matthew Clark

5 years ago

As investors look for ways to make regular income from their investments, Money and Markets shares our four tech dividend stocks to buy now.

Making money in the stock market is certainly a feasible idea.

Investors can do it by finding stocks they think are priced low and wait for them to gain, then sell them at a higher price — the old “buy low, sell high” philosophy.

But another way for investors to bring in extra income from the market is to find stocks whose companies pay them a dividend, a payment made by a company to shareholders. That payment is based on the revenue the company earns in a given quarter. The dividend can go up or down based on that revenue.

Tech companies come with an added advantage of being part of one of the fastest-growing sectors (growing more than twice as fast as global GDP in the last 15 years).

If an investor can find a growing tech stock that also pays a dividend, they can cash in twice.

That’s why we have our four tech dividend stocks to buy now.

1. Apple Inc.

Market capitalization: $1.2 trillion.

Annual dividend yield: 1.05%.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) has gone through some difficult times with the spread of the coronavirus frightening investors. Companies like Apple rely heavily on the global economy to make a profit.

What’s important to realize is that, before the market scare, shares of Apple jumped more than 134% since January 2019.

But even with the stock was below $140 per share, its dividend payout was still high. The company actually adjusted its yield to still provide shareholders with a solid quarterly payment.

In early February 2020, the company’s dividend payment was $0.77 per share, making it one of the highest dividend payments of any other stock. It actually increased its dividend payment from $0.73 per share in May 2019.

Because of that high dividend payment, Apple Inc. is one of the four tech dividend stocks to buy now.

2. Qualcomm

Market capitalization: $91 billion.

Annual dividend yield: 3.11%.

Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM) is a California-based provider of wireless technology. It provides research and development of semiconductors likely to be used in the 5G revolution.

Before the coronavirus pushed down the market, Qualcomm’s share price went from around $47 per share in December 2018 to more than $95 in January 2020 — an increase of around 100%.

It has suffered a downturn, but that means it can grow back to that high mark when the market stabilizes.

While its share price stands below its 52-week high (giving it that room to run), Qualcomm also forks out a solid dividend payment to shareholders.

Its last annual dividend yield was 3.11% and its dividend payment was $0.62 per share. That has been a steady price since the middle of 2018.

That steady dividend payment makes Qualcomm Inc. one of our four tech dividend stocks to buy now.

3. Seagate Technology

Market capitalization: $13 billion.

Annual dividend yield: 5.09%.

Seagate Technologies PLC (Nasdaq: STX) makes solid-state hard drives and hybrids for anything from personal computers to large-scale computing operations.

Its share price was at a low of less than $34 back in December 2018, but it rebounded nicely to a high of $63 in January 2020 (that’s more than an 82% jump). It has dropped since the coronavirus scare, but its growth potential is still significant.

Seagate was one of our five tech stocks to buy in 2020 because of its strong quarterly earnings that have yet to disappoint shareholders.

Like Qualcomm, the recent dip gives Seagate Technologies a lot of potential after the coronavirus scare recedes.

But another strength of Seagate is its dividend payment. Its current annual dividend yield is the highest of any company on our list — 5.09%. In December 2019, the company paid $0.65 per share for its quarterly dividend. That was the first dividend increase in more than a year, thanks to a jump in company revenue.

The prospect for continued dividend growth makes Seagate Technologies one of the four tech dividend stocks to buy now.

4. Western Digital Corp.

Market capitalization: $17 billion.

Annual dividend yield: 3.35%.

While Seagate Technologies specializes in hard drive storage, the biggest sellers for Western Digital Corp. (Nasdaq: WDC) are its portable card storage products.

In a little more than a year, shares of Western Digital jumped more than 100% as the tech sector took off in 2019. That has been pared back (again, thanks to the coronavirus), but tech is poised to make a comeback when fears settle.

Western Digital brings to the table a 3.35% annual dividend yield which has paid off nicely for shareholders.

Since 2018, the company has paid a $0.50 dividend per share without interruption, meaning even in the downtimes, it managed to keep its payment level.

That consistency makes Western Digital one of the four tech dividend stocks to buy now.

Our list contains tech companies that have rewarded investors with solid, and sometimes increasing dividend payments. Many adjust their payment despite revenues or share prices being down.

Providing that stable income makes these are four tech dividend stocks to buy now.