If you’re an income investor, technology companies are unlikely to be your main target. Returning value to shareholders through dividend payments isn’t the priority of these high-flying names that generally reinvest extra capital to further propel their growth.
That said, you can still find a handful of top technology companies that pay growing dividends each year, making them a good fit in any retirement portfolio. These names generally offer a combination of capital growth and decent quarterly income.
Here's a look at three tech stocks that pay steadily growing dividends, making them a good addition to your retirement portfolio:
1. Broadcom Inc.
Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) is one of the world’s largest chip manufacturers that also makes smartphone parts, key components of networking equipment and semiconductors that run home Wi-Fi gear and set-top boxes.
The extensive reach to multiple industries that Broadcom enjoys also gives investors both a reliable income stream and added upside potential. While Broadcom stock soared more than 200% in the past five years, its dividend has more than tripled from $1.02 per share each quarter in 2017 to $3.60.
The stock is currently yielding more than 3%—a rate of return that is higher than the average yield offered by S&P 500 companies.
California-based Broadcom is in a strong position to reward its investors with hefty payouts going forward as demand for its chips remains strong. About 90% of Broadcom’s 2021 supply has already been ordered by customers. Normally, chip-makers have about a quarter of their supply locked up like this.
2. Seagate Technology
The largest maker of computer drives, Seagate Technology (NASDAQ:STX), is another reliable dividend stock to hold in your retirement portfolio.
The company is benefiting from strong demand from data center owners that are struggling to keep up with the need for storage, created by the flood of data from online services. Such demand is helping the California-based company stave off declining demand from the PC market, where storage based on semiconductors is taking over.
In April, Seagate offered upbeat guidance for the current quarter helped by cloud-computing demand for high-capacity drives.
Said Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chief executive officer, in a statement:
"We grew revenue, expanded profitability and achieved non-GAAP EPS above our guided range. Our March quarter results underscore the strength of our HDD product portfolio and increasing demand for mass capacity storage."
With an annual dividend yield of more than 3%, Seagate pays $0.68 a share quarterly. Though the growth rate in payouts has been about 4% over the past five years, the company has enough runway to increase it. The current dividend payments are less than half the amount of projected earnings per share.
3. Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN), a tech giant that produces electronic products including chips that are used in many diversified industries, is another solid name to add to your income portfolio.
TI gets the biggest chunk of its sales from manufacturers of industrial equipment. It also produces semiconductors that go into everything from vehicles to home electronics and space hardware.
But the biggest attraction for long-term investors is the company’s dividend program, which is growing each year. With an annual dividend yield of around 2%, TI currently pays $1.02 a share quarterly, which has grown 23% per year during the past five years.
With its payout ratio of just over 60%, TI is in a comfortable position to hike its dividend going forward. In addition, the company’s long-term growth prospects are bright with the amount of electronics being added to cars and machinery.