In this article, we discuss 5 tech stocks to buy according to Nathan Przybylo’s L2 Asset Management. If you want our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to 10 Tech Stocks to Buy According to Nathan Przybylo’s L2 Asset Management.
5. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)
L2 Asset Management’s Stake Value: $1,131,000
Percentage of L2 Asset Management’s 13F Portfolio: 2.85%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 63
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a California-based multinational technology conglomerate manufacturing networking hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, and relevant high-tech products. L2 Asset Management held 20,777 shares of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in Q3 2021, amounting to $1.13 million, accounting for 2.85% of the fund’s 13F portfolio.
On December 13, Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) declared a quarterly dividend of $0.37 per share, in line with previous. The dividend was paid on January 26, to shareholders of record on January 5.
JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee lowered the price target on Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) to $69 from $70 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares on January 20. Heading into the Q4 earnings season for networking and hardware, the analyst views the recent pullback in growth companies as offering an attractive entry point. He expects a repeat of the strong 2021 growth in 2022, with potential upside from supply, as opposed to value companies which he believes are “set for a material slowdown in 2022.”
In the third quarter of 2021, 63 hedge funds were bullish on Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), up from 60 funds in the quarter earlier. David Blood and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management is one of the largest Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) stakeholders, with over 15 million shares worth $1.04 billion.
Here is what ClearBridge Large Cap Value Strategy has to say about Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in its Q3 2021 investor letter:
“We reinvested a portion of the proceeds into existing holding Cisco Systems, which also has highly valuable technology and an improving secular growth story with its leading position in core networking hardware, as well as in its growing software and services business. Cisco has refocused on winning share in the large and growing hyperscale market and has been investing aggressively in R&D to support growth. We believe Cisco has found new legs after previously ceding some growth opportunities in cloud while maintaining its strong presence in the carrier and enterprise markets. Cisco boasts a strong balance sheet and accelerating multi-year growth while trading at a modest multiple of earnings.”
4. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
L2 Asset Management’s Stake Value: $1,234,000
Percentage of L2 Asset Management’s 13F Portfolio: 3.11%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 66
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is a multinational technology corporation based in Santa Clara, California. In addition to being one of the most significant semiconductor manufacturers in the world, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) provides central processing units, microprocessors, integrated graphics processing units, motherboard chipsets, solid state drives, flash memory, and vehicle automation sensors.
In Q3 2021, L2 Asset Management held 23,155 Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) shares, worth $1.2 million, representing 3.11% of the hedge fund’s total 13F investments.
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) published its Q4 results on January 26, posting earnings per share of $1.09, beating estimates by $0.18. Revenue for Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) dropped 2.23% year-over-year, coming in at $19.53 billion, exceeding estimates by $1.18 billion.
On January 26, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) declared a $0.365 per share quarterly dividend, which is a 5% increase from the prior dividend of $0.347. The dividend is payable on March 1, to shareholders of record on February 7.
UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri lowered the price target on Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) on January 27 to $53 from $58 and kept a Neutral rating on the shares after its Q4 results and below consensus Q1 earnings guidance.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q3 database, 66 hedge funds were long Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), down from 78 funds in the preceding quarter. Seth Klarman’s Baupost Group is one of the leading stakeholders of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), with 19.7 million shares worth almost $1.05 billion.
Here is what O’Keefe Stevens Advisory, Inc. has to say about Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) in its Q4 2021 investor letter:
“Intel Corp (INTC) – We originally purchased Intel in August 2020 due to the substantial FCF generated and $10B+ yearly in R&D and Capex invested over the past several years. The technology lead it once had was gone as competitors such as TSMC, AMD, and others in the CPU and Data Center group surpassed Intel. Even though Intel had years of business underperformance because of delays in releasing new products, we believed the amount of capital spent at the company would allow them to catch up and reclaim market share. We knew this type of turnaround, given the company’s size, was not going to be quick or easy. However, we believed the price offered more than compensated us for the risk of failing once again.
In January, Intel announced Pat Gelsinger as the new CEO. We were happy with the hire as Pat was Intel’s original CTO, helping Intel become the dominant player in the industry it once was. We became increasingly worried that Pat was not the right guy in the months and quarters following the announcement. Mr. Gelsinger appears to be viewing the world through rose colored glasses (though we do recognize the CEO is the heart and soul of the organization, so we understand to a certain extent why he talked the way he did). Intel’s FCF gave us some comfort that it could afford to continue investing in new products while repurchasing shares or making acquisitions.
In the most recent quarter, the company announced an ambitious spending plan. In 2022, Intel expects to spend between $25-$28B in capital expenditures plus another $15B in R&D, with the potential to spend more if an opportunity presents itself! The FCF cushion we once had is likely gone for the next few years as Intel bets the farm to return to a market-leading position. While the future for Semiconductors is very bright, and end markets such as Data Centers and Autonomous vehicles are growing rapidly, we worry about the potential ramifications should INTC’s investments prove to be ill-fated like the past decade. Understanding what INTC will earn next year is a challenge in and of itself. Thinking about what it could be in 3-5 years is likely nothing more than a guess. With our downside protection gone and uncertainty surrounding the business’s future, we decided to sell the position. We are long-term-minded and are willing to ride out short-term pain. However, when the facts change, we must update our prior views.”
3. Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX)
L2 Asset Management’s Stake Value: $1,278,000
Percentage of L2 Asset Management’s 13F Portfolio: 3.22%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 27
Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) is a California-based global data storage company that specializes in hard disk drives, hybrid drives, and solid state drives. L2 Asset Management holds 15,483 shares of Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX), worth $1.27 billion, representing 3.22% of the fund’s Q3 portfolio.
On January 26, Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) posted its Q4 results, announcing earnings per share of $2.41, beating estimates by $0.05. The $3.12 billion revenue gained 18.80% from the prior-year quarter, surpassing estimates by $719,170. The stock climbed 20% after the company posted solid Q4 earnings.
Argus analyst Jim Kelleher on January 28 raised the price target on Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) to $130 from $105 and kept a Buy rating on the shares. The company’s Q4 results “comfortably exceeded expectations”, with strong annual growth in sales that was driven by its mass capacity storage business exceeding $2 billion for the second time, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
A total of 27 hedge funds in the Q3 database of Insider Monkey were bullish on Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX), down from 31 funds in the quarter earlier. Antipodes Partners is a prominent stakeholder of Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX), owning a $59.1 million position in the company as of Q3 2021.
Here is what ClearBridge Investments has to say about Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) in its Q1 2021 investor letter:
“Our high active share approach made the most difference in IT, where the portfolio’s holdings gained 4.5% compared to a loss for the benchmark. Results were led by our more cyclical positions in digital storage provider Seagate Technology.”
2. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)
L2 Asset Management’s Stake Value: $1,309,000
Percentage of L2 Asset Management’s 13F Portfolio: 3.30%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 41
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is a New York-based multinational technology company offering hardware, middleware and software, hosting solutions, on-demand services, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing, in addition to multiple related products and services. L2 Asset Management, as of Q3 2021, holds a $1.30 million stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM).
On February 1, International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) declared a quarterly dividend of $1.64 per share, in line with previous. The dividend is payable on March 10, to shareholders of record on February 11.
Tigress Financial analyst Ivan Feinseth on January 28 reiterated a Neutral rating on International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) and initiated a 12-month target price of $133. The analyst believes “intense” competition and a lack of major growth catalysts provide little opportunity for significant near-term share gains. With that said, International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) “looks close to turning a corner, having reported the best sales growth in 10 years on strong cloud demand”, according to Feinseth.
In the third quarter of 2021, 41 hedge funds reported owning stakes worth $1.40 billion in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM). Point72 Asset Management held a significant stake in International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) in Q3, owning 1.60 million shares worth $223.4 million.
Here is what St. James Investment Company has to say about International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) in its Q4 2021 investor letter:
“IBM was not the first company to build computers. The distinction belongs to Sperry-Rand’s subsidiary UNIVAC, which introduced the first commercially successful computers in the early 1950s. In this era, IBM did possess the largest research and development department of the business machines industry and quickly caught up, introducing cost-competitive computers a few years after UNIVAC. By the late 1950s, IBM held the dominant market share in computers. IBM also touted a vastly superior sales organization, which used a sales tactic called “paper machines” (the equivalent of today’s “vaporware”). If a competitor’s product was selling well in a market segment that IBM had yet to penetrate, the company would announce a competing product and start taking orders for the “paper machine” long before it was available.
One cannot overstate how powerful IBM was in the computer industry in the 1950s and 1960s. Every competitor rightly worried that if their product worked too well for too long, it was only a matter of time before an army of IBM salesforce representatives mobilized. In their easily recognizable uniforms of starched white shirts, red ties and blue suits, IBM marketers marched on their customers and offered a more expensive, but much more defensible, choice. “Nobody gets fired for buying IBM” was a common phrase. Even competitors acknowledged that the company excelled at sales. As a UNIVAC executive once complained, ‘It doesn’t do much good to build a better mousetrap if the other guy selling mousetraps has five times as many salesmen.’” (Click here to see the full text)
1. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)
L2 Asset Management’s Stake Value: $1,393,000
Percentage of L2 Asset Management’s 13F Portfolio: 3.52%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) is a Texas-based multinational technology corporation, providing computer software, computer hardware, cloud computing, data storage, information security, and consulting services. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) stock represents 3.52% of L2 Asset Management’s third quarter securities, with Nathan Przybylo holding 13,387 shares worth $1.39 million.
On January 11, Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi upgraded Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) to Outperform from Market Perform with a $72 price target. The analyst noted that Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) is entering 2022 with an estimated 6 weeks of backlog in its PC business and has a relatively high mix of commercial versus consumer PCs, which should help cushion results should consumer PC demand slow.
According to Insider Monkey’s Q3 database, 60 hedge funds were long Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL), with stakes totaling $6.14 billion, as compared to 62 funds in the prior quarter, holding stakes in Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) worth $5.60 billion. In Q3 2021, Paul Singer’s Elliott Management was the biggest Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) stakeholder, with a $2.58 billion position in the company.
Here is what Third Point Management has to say about Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) in its Q3 2021 investor letter:
“Michael Dell has created substantial value for shareholders since re-listing the company several years ago. Earlier this year, Dell Technologies announced that it would be spinning its $50 billion stake in VMWare, which we believe will unlock the underappreciated value of the Dell server and PC businesses. Dell’s best attribute has been strong free cash flow generation, which the company has used to de-lever and create significant latent value for equity holders. Looking ahead, we believe this core Dell business, which still trades at a discount to its hardware peer group, should instead command a premium multiple thanks to its leading market share, profitability, and impressive execution. There are few large cap companies which possess a nearly 10% FCF yield, 2.5% dividend yield and 1.5x leverage ratio; Dell is one of them.”
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