High research spending cuts their risk

Article Excerpt

Computer equipment and software companies operate in a highly volatile field. A start-up firm with a better product can quickly gain market share and force well-established firms out of business. The best technology stocks are those that can afford to keep adding profitable new products and improving existing ones. Companies have to treat this spending as a day-to-day expense, which hurts their earnings. But, when done right, research outlays pay off for years to come. We feel these three tech companies will continue to dominate their niche fields, and see one as right for new buying. CISCO SYSTEMS INC. $57 (Nasdaq symbol CSCO; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares o/s: 4.3 billion; Market cap: $245.1 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 4.7; Divd. yield 2.5%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.cisco.com) is a maker of hardware and software to link and manage computer networks. Due to slowing demand for routers and switches, Cisco continues to expand into software for managing network security, conferencing and collaboration, and other faster-growing areas. In…