Top 5 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014

Reports this week out of the two top technology research firms, IDC and Gartner, show that PC sales fell by a significant margin, and much more than was expected. Stocks including Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ  ) , Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) , and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) were all hit on the news. Despite these setbacks, however, each of these companies has a lot of positives, which are easily overlooked on such grim-sounding news.

In the video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses what the death of the PC is really about, and how various tech bellwethers are reacting to the shift in the market.

When it comes to dominating markets, it doesn't get much better than Intel's position in the PC microprocessor arena. However, that market is maturing, and Intel finds itself in a precarious situation longer term if it doesn't find new avenues for growth. In this�premium research report on Intel, our analyst runs through all of the key topics investors�should understand�about�the chip giant. Click here now to learn more.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Roper Industries Inc.(ROP)

Roper Industries, Inc. designs, manufactures, and distributes radio frequency (RF) products and services, industrial technology products, energy systems and controls, and medical and scientific imaging products and software. Its Medical and Scientific Imaging segment offers patient positioning devices, 3-D measurement technology, diagnostic and therapeutic disposable products, ultrasound bladder volume measurement instruments, and video laryngoscopes; digital imaging products and software; and handheld and vehicle mount computers and software. The company?s Energy Systems and Controls segment produces control systems, fluid properties testing equipment, industrial valves and controls, sensors and controls, and non-destructive inspection and measurement products and solutions. Its Industrial Technology segment produces water and fluid handling pumps, equipment and consumables, leak testing equipment, flow measurement and metering equipment, water meter, and automatic meter reading products and systems. The company?s RF Technology segment provides radio frequency identification communication technology and software solutions that are used in toll and traffic systems and processing; security and access control; campus card systems; software-as-a-service in the freight matching and food industries; and metering and remote monitoring applications. It markets its products to RF applications, medical, water, energy, research, education, software-as-a-service-based information networks, and security markets. The company distributes its products through direct sales personnel, manufacturers? representatives, value added resellers, original equipment manufacturers, and distributors. It principally operates in the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America. Roper Industries, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in Sarasota, Florida.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Roper Industries (NYSE: ROP  ) reported earnings on July 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended June 30 (Q2), Roper Industries met expectations on revenues and met expectations on earnings per share.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: RealPage Inc.(RP)

RealPage, Inc. provides on demand software solutions for the rental housing industry in North America. It offers property management systems, including OneSite to manage leasing and rents, facilities, purchasing, accounting, budgeting, and living of multi-family, housing and urban development (HUD), tax credit, privatized military housing, and student housing; and Propertyware for accounting, maintenance and work order management, marketing spend management, and portal services, as well as screening, renter?s insurance, and payment solutions. The company also provides on premise property management systems that include RentRoll for small conventional apartment communities; HUD Manager for small HUD, rural housing services, and tax credit subsidized apartment communities; Tenant Pro for small conventional properties; Spectra, an apartment and commercial modular property management system; and i-CAM and Management Plus property management software that automates and streaml ines rental activities. In addition, it offers software-enabled value-added services, such as LeaseStar, a system that manage marketing and leasing operations and enable owners and managers to originate, capture, track, manage, and close leads; YieldStar, a scientific yield management system, which enables owners and managers to optimize rents; LeasingDesk, a risk mitigation system to reduce delinquency, liability, and property damage risk; and Velocity that offers billing and utility management services; OpsTechnology that offers spend management systems that enable owners and managers to control costs; shared cloud services, which are integrated with property management systems and software-enabled valued added services; and RealPage Senior Living, an integrated care management, community management, and marketing management platform. The company sells its software and services directly through its sales force. RealPage, Inc. is headquartered in Carrollton, Texas.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon C. Ogg]

  RealPage Inc. (NYSE: RP) was downgraded to Underperform from Neutral with a $20 price target (versus a $23.40 close) at Credit Suisse.

  Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE: RDS-A) was raised to Buy from Sell with a $71 price target (versus a $65.88 close) at Goldman Sachs.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Calling all cash flows
  When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on RealPage (Nasdaq: RP  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

5 Best Blue Chip Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Tyler Technologies Inc. (TYL)

Tyler Technologies, Inc. provides integrated information management solutions and services for the public sector with a focus on local governments in the United States and internationally. The company offers financial management solutions, including modular fund accounting systems for government agencies and not-for-profit entities; and utility billing systems to support the billing and collection of metered and non-metered services. It also provides financial management systems, such as specialized products to automate various city functions, including municipal courts, parking tickets, equipment and project costing, animal and business licenses, permits and inspections, code enforcement, citizen complaint tracking, ambulance billing, fleet maintenance, and cemetery records management; and student information systems and transportation solutions to K-12 schools, as well as software applications to manage public sector pension funds. In addition, the company offers integra ted suite of judicial solutions comprising court case management, court and law enforcement, prosecutor, and supervision systems to handle complex, multi-jurisdictional county, statewide implementations, and single county systems; systems and software to automate the appraisal and assessment of real and personal properties; tax applications for agencies that bill and collect taxes; and software applications that enable county governments to enhance and automate courthouse operations. Further, it provides subscription-based services, such as application service provider arrangements and other hosted service offerings, software subscriptions, and disaster recovery services; electronic document filing solutions for courts and law offices; professional IT services, including software and hardware installation, data conversion, training, and product modifications; and outsourced property appraisal services for taxing jurisdictions. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquart ered in Dallas, Texas.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Portugal Telecom SGPS S.A .(PT)

Portugal Telecom, SGPS, S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications services in Portugal, Brazil, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. It offers fixed line telephone, Internet protocol television, and direct-to-home satellite pay-TV services; and mobile telecommunications services, such as voice, data, and Internet-related multi-media services primarily for mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, and laptops. The company also provides enterprise services, including data and business solutions, as well as information technology/information system and business process outsourcing services. In addition, it provides engineering solutions and training services in telecommunications; postal network services; consultant negotiation services; public telecommunication services and telebroadcasting services; call center services; mobile cellular services; and development and consultancy services in the areas of electronic commerce, contents, telecommunications, and info rmation technology. Further, it engages in the purchase, management, administration, sale, and investment consultancy of real estate properties; business advisory board service installment, consultation, administration, and business management; and pension fund management,. Additionally, the company provides wholesale services comprising leased lines, interconnection, unbundled access to its local loops, broadband asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), wholesale line rental, access to ducts, transmission of television and radio signals, and international carrier services. The company also publishes directories; provides portal services; and sells telecommunications equipment. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 4.9 million telephone and ADSL access lines in service. The company was formerly known as Portugal Telecom, SA and changed its name to Portugal Telecom, SGPS, S.A. in December 2000. Portugal Telecom, SGPS, S.A. was founded in 1994 and is based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Top 5 Tech Stocks To Buy For 2014: Extreme Networks Inc.(EXTR)

Extreme Networks, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops and markets network infrastructure equipment and services to businesses, hospitals, schools, hotels, telecommunications companies, and government agencies. It offers Summit product family of stackable Ethernet switching systems that provide 10 megabit to 40 gigabit connection speeds, various physical presentations, and options to deliver power-over-Ethernet or unpowered standard Ethernet ports; and Black Diamond family of modular Ethernet switching systems, which deliver modular or chassis-based Ethernet connectivity solutions for enterprises, data centers, and service providers. The company also offers SummitWM family of wireless network controllers and associated Altitude access points to enable the deployment of nomadic and mobile converged network applications; and RidgeLine management software system that includes features tailored to data center, campus, and service provider management. It has strategic relationships with Motorola Inc., Netgear, Inc., Ericsson Enterprise AB, and Nokia Siemens Networks. The company sells its products through distributors, resellers, and field sales organizations. It operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, and the Asia Pacific. Extreme Networks, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.