Research spending keeps these techs on top

Article Excerpt

These four technology companies continue to dominate their specific industries. They also spend large sums on the development of products. That makes it difficult for new competitors to cut into their market share. That high research spending depresses their current earnings and makes them look more expensive in relation to their projected earnings. For three of the four stocks, we advise you to wait until those earnings catch up to their prices. However, we see Symantec as the exception: it’s attractively priced in relation to its prospects; and it stands to profit as more businesses enhance their computer security in light of the recent WannaCry virus attack. APPLE INC. $153 (Nasdaq symbol AAPL; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 5.2 billion; Market cap: $795.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.6; Dividend yield: 1.6%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.apple.com) gets 65% of its revenue from iPhone sales. The remaining 35% comes from sales of its Mac computers, iPad tablets, iPod music players and Apple…