Best Tech Companies To Invest In

There is no doubt that technology companies are some of the fastest growing on the S&P. However, they also tend to be the most expensive on a PE basis. There is also concern about how the policies of President Trump will impact on the sector.

However, one would ask if it was possible to select companies that may not be the most glamorous yet have the most prospects for growth. In this article we will delve into some tech companies that have been overlooked but have the most scope for growth in 2017 (as well as returns on your portfolio).

This article appeared first on ModestMoney.com

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Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP)

This cyber security firm that was founded in Israel in the 1990s tends to be quite shareholder friendly and is trading on a relatively low P/E ratio of 25. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP) also operates in one of the most relevant Technology sub sectors, namely information security. Given the amount of cyber threats that presented themselves last year, firms that offer clients protection from hackers are in more demand currently.

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHKP) more specifically focuses on network and data security using a number of tools including firewalls etc. Their first quarter results no doubt caught investors off guard as the stock rallied by over 7% on the announcement. This is mainly because of the 21% increase in EPS. This was caused by effective cost cutting initiatives which translated into better bottom line figures. Another positive announcement by the CEO was the drive to increase subscriptions and hence incurring and stable revenues.

SAP SE (ADR) (NYSE:SAP)

When it comes to an essential part of a company’s operations, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is essential to that. One of the most established names in ERP software is SAP. ERP is fundamental to companies as it manages HR, payroll, Supply chains etc. Given that so many companies use SAP, it is no surprise that they will continue to use it for the foreseeable future. SAP software benefits from the “lock-in” effect. Essentially, once a company has integrated the software into their systems, they are extremely reluctant to change. This mainly comes down to the costs of changing from retraining staff to replacing other compatible software.

However, SAP SE (ADR) (NYSE:SAP) is not just relying on its powerful existing customer base but is also trying to expand into new technologies such as Cloud Computing. They recently completed purchases of companies including Concur and Ariba which operate in this industry. One can be certain of heavy cash flow generation from the core operations which were up nearly 12% in Q3 of 2016 on the previous year. This will no doubt provide a lot of firepower for the company to invest in other areas such as R&D and acquisitions.

TechFinancials Inc (LON:TECH)

TechFinancials Inc (LON:TECH) is another company out of Israel that recently listed on the London Stock Exchange. They provide technology and platform solutions to option managed account providers and brokers. They are already used by a number of top brokers in the industry. Although the share price has had quite a tough time, this appears to have been arrested and it had quite a rally last year.

TechFinancials Inc (LON:TECH) is now fully profitable and at an attractive discount. If one were to compare this to a competitor such as Plus500, the price seems like a bargain at a 5x EV/EBITDA ratio. Although there was a slowdown in trading revenue in Europe due to increased regulation, a new partnership with Cantor Fitzgerald will mean that the company has more growth opportunities in the U.S.