Here’s our Pick of the Month

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SYMANTEC CORP. $25.36 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; TSINetwork Rating: Average) (1-408-517-8000; www.symantec.com; Shares outstanding: 698.6 million; Market cap: $17.7 billion; Dividend yield: 2.4%) sells computer security technology, including anti-virus and email-filtering software, to businesses and consumers. It also offers data-archiving software. In Symantec’s fiscal 2014 first quarter, which ended June 28, 2013, its revenue rose 2.5%, to $1.75 billion from $1.68 billion a year earlier. The company is doing a good job of selling its products as ongoing subscriptions instead of one-time purchases. Subscriptions now account for 45% of its revenue, up from 44% a year ago. Earnings per share rose 7.3%, to $0.44 from $0.41. That easily beat the consensus estimate of $0.36. The company is poised to keep reporting higher earnings as its new restructuring plan takes effect. Under this initiative, Symantec is laying off 30% to 40% of its managers and streamlining its product lines. This should increase its gross profit margin (gross profits as a percentage of…