Technology is a fine thing

We all use technology in our everyday lives, but have you ever thought about investing in technology stocks?

Most of us probably wish we had had the foresight to invest in Apple all those years ago when it was just a start-up.

But you don’t have to miss out. There are plenty of technology companies that continue to shake up the sector, buoyed by our insatiable appetite for online shopping, cloud computing and the latest gadget or smartphone.

If you are considering dipping a toe into the technology sector, then here are some stocks that might be worth taking a closer look at, due to their ability to stay several steps ahead.

If it’s ecommerce you want to get exposure to, then Alibaba was founded back in 1999 in China and is now one of the world’s largest internet companies by revenue. Financial results for the quarter to the end of June 2019 show revenues are a healthy $16.74bn – a year-on-year increase of 42% and better than expected.

The company attributed most of its growth to its e-commerce business and cloud division.

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Also benefiting from the growth of its cloud business is Microsoft.

There was a time when Microsoft’s Windows software seemed to be unable to keep up with Apple’s inventiveness. Many attribute the company’s turnaround to chief executive Satya Nadella. Microsoft’s share price has leaped more than 200% in the past five years.

Its Intelligent Cloud business generated revenue in 2019 of $39bn and this part of the company now accounts for 31% of total revenue. It has also created a partnership between Microsoft Windows software and Samsung’s Galaxy devices.

Microsoft is certainly a tech success story. But so too is online retail giant Amazon.

Founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos may have made the headlines recently due to his personal life, rather than business achievements. But the retailer has grand plans, having branched out from e-commerce into cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

Its most recent results for the second quarter of 2019 were somewhat mixed. But quarterly net sales were up 20% to $63.4bn, up from $52.9bn in the same period last year.

While there are high hopes for its cloud computing business, the e-commerce division shows no signs of slowing. Amazon’s two-day Prime Day, which took place on the 15 and16 July, is said to have set a new record for sales.

The company has forecast its revenue will be between $66bn to $70bn for the third quarter of this year.

Could it be time to shop these tech stocks?

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Figures displayed above were taken from publically available earnings reports released by the respective companies.