Juniper Networks

This is another familiar name that could offer among the best total return potential. Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE: JNPR) designs, develops and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers various routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy new high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; and NorthStar controllers.

The company also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine and top-of-rack data center switches; and Juniper access points, which provide wireless access and performance.

In addition, the company offers security products including SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated firewall and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP.

Its Junos OS is a network operating system, and its Contrail is a  networking and cloud platform that provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN and NFV. Contrail Insights is an optimization and management software platform for public, private, and hybrid clouds, while Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless and WAN assurance solutions set and measure key metrics. Its Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant identifies the root cause of issues, and Netrounds is a software-based active test and service assurance platform.

Investors receive a 2.76% dividend. Needham has lifted the price target to $30 from $25. The consensus target is $26.06, though Juniper Networks stock ended Friday at $28.98 per share.

Seagate

This disk drive giant is hitting on all cylinders and looks reasonable at current trading levels. Seagate Technology Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: STX) provides data storage technology and solutions in Singapore, the United States, the Netherlands and elsewhere.

The company offers hard disk and solid state drives, including serial advanced technology attachment, serial attached SCSI and non-volatile memory express products; solid state hybrid drives; and storage subsystems. Its products are used in enterprise servers and storage systems and edge compute and non-compute applications.

Seagate also provides an enterprise data solutions portfolio, comprising storage subsystems and mass capacity optimized private cloud storage solutions for enterprises, cloud service providers and scale-out storage servers and original equipment manufacturers. In addition, it offers external storage solutions under the Seagate Backup Plus and Expansion product lines, as well as under the LaCie and Maxtor brands in capacities up to 16TB.

Shareholders enjoy a 2.97% dividend. UBS raised the stock to Buy last month and boosted the price target from $83 to $105 after a sparkling earnings report. The consensus target is in line at $105.05. The last trade for Seagate Technology stock on Friday hit the tape at $90.32.

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These five top technology companies pay out solid and dependable dividends. Given the run in technology and the very rich and overbought market, it may make sense to scale buy into a position in one or more of these top stocks. Or go the dividend reinvestment route by asking your financial advisor to see if there is a DRIP plan so you can take advantage of a fall in the share price when dividends are paid.