Apple Inc. (AAPL), Oracle Corporation (ORCL), Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) and Technology Dividend Payers

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Boring, stodgy and effective. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the very definition of a tech firm in a gray flannel suit. You know what? Boring and stodgy and effective is what you WANT in a company. No one would ding General Mills, Alcoa or Wal-Mart for being that way. They just make money without a lot of flash. But in the tech sector there’s some sort of silly notion that if you don’t behave immodestly you must be a bad investment.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) continues to be a great investment. The firm’s stock took a bit of a dive back in November when its board raised the dividend 15% – to a yield of 3.27% – but I don’t see that as a bad thing. And the company has two pretty good products out there in the Windows 8 Phone and the Surface tablet computer. I think Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)is investable for both the short and long term.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)

OK, I lied. THIS is the firm in the gray flannel suit. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is so mature that there wasn’t high tech when it matured. Heck, I’m not even sure you could call what it did medium-tech when it started. Still, through the years it’s done a good job of making money. Just because you don’t buy its products in Wal-Mart doesn’t mean it’s not selling them where it counts: at the enterprise level.

Even discounting the unpleasantness of the recession, International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM)’s stock has grown over the last 10 years from $80.85 to a recent high of $212.26. I can live with that given the chaos that the financial crisis caused. Through all of that it paid and raised its dividend. Since 2008 it raised its dividend four times, each time by a dime. It also has a P/E of just under 15 and an EPS of 14.41. If you want a good, stable tech firm this is one to think about.

The important thing here is to remember not to be too influenced by what you see in the press. If you’re reading this, you’re the type of investor who seeks out information. That’s good. But don’t allow yourself to be overly influenced by it without doing a lot of extra research. Always back up your investment decisions with a solid strategy and don’t make snap decisions.

The article Apple, Oracle, HP and Technology Dividend Payers originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Nate Wooley.

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