Hot Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now

Last week I rolled out a Health Care Portfolio for the Ages by adding two big biotech growth stories, Celgene and Gilead Sciences, to the HealthyMoney Motley Fool CAPS virtual portfolio.�From fast growers to dividend plays, to companies with disruptive technology, join me each week as I construct a market-beating virtual portfolio of 10 health care stocks.�

Let's continue our quest for a market-beating portfolio constructed entirely from health care companies by adding two health care powerhouses.

Big pharma stuck in a rut?
It's been an interesting year in health care with small- and mid-cap biotechs soaring and traditional big pharma stalling on the crushing blows of the patent cliff. Big names like Roche, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Merck, and Eli Lilly are all in the midst of major restructuring and cost cutting initiatives after in-house R&D costs had swollen with unimpressive end results. But with the inflated valuations of health care growth companies and the expanding notion that there is a biotech bubble, it is critical that we find some stalwart plays to diversify the virtual portfolio.

Top 5 China Stocks To Invest In 2015: Vocus Inc.(VOCS)

Vocus, Inc. provides cloud marketing software that enables businesses attract, engage, and retain customers in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Morocco. It offers a suite of software for social media marketing, search marketing, email marketing, and publicity. The company?s cloud marketing solutions include search marketing and news distribution solution that helps customers increase their online visibility and organic search engine rankings with press releases; and email marketing solution, which provides a method of keeping in touch with prospects and customers by using professional looking emails to send newsletters, special offers, and other useful content. Its cloud marketing solutions also comprise social media software solution that helps customers run social marketing campaigns, as well as monitor and analyze conversations across multiple social networks and other online Websites; and publicity solution, which offers media database, news monitoring, and analyt ics and publicity opportunities that help companies increase their media exposure, manage relationships with reporters, and monitor and analyze trends unfolding in the media. The company also provides professional services that consist of data migration, custom development, and training. Vocus, Inc. sells its products to the financial and insurance, technology, healthcare and pharmaceutical, and retail and consumer products industries, as well as government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions through its direct sales channels, indirect sales channels, and the Internet. Vocus, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Beltsville, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By The GeoTeam]

  Our recent 2013 articles on SaaS companies Selectica (SLTC), E2open (EOPN), Responsys (MKTG), Vocus (VOCS), and ExactTarget (ET) highlighted such opportunities. The average return since the inception of our coverage currently stands at around 34% (55% at their highs).

• [By Alex Planes]

  What: Shares of Vocus (NASDAQ: VOCS  ) have plunged 15% today after the company's forward guidance failed to impress the Street.

  So what: Vocus reported its earnings last evening, and both the $46.6 million top line and the $0.01 earnings per share result were better than Wall Street's consensus, which sought a $45.3 million revenue number and a $0.02 loss per share. However, third-quarter guidance of $46.5 million to $46.8 million on the top line is below the $47 million consensus, and a $0.03 to $0.04 EPS result is roughly in line with the $0.03 consensus. Additionally, the full fiscal year's guidance of $188 million to $189 million is roughly in line with the $188.2 million consensus.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Vocus (Nasdaq: VOCS  ) reported earnings on April 23. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Vocus met expectations on revenues and missed estimates on earnings per share.

• [By Rich Smith]

  In a separate statement, the company announced a small change in management, bringing in ex-Vocus (NASDAQ: VOCS  ) Chief Operating Officer William R. Wagner to become its own COO. In an SEC filing, LogMeIn noted that it will pay Wagner $400,000 in annual base salary, plus:

Hot Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now: Fabrinet (FN)

Fabrinet, incorporated on August 12, 1999, provides optical packaging and precision optical, electro-mechanical and electronic manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of complex products, such as optical communication components, modules and sub-systems, industrial lasers and sensors. The Company offers a range of optical and electro-mechanical capabilities across the entire manufacturing processes, including process design and engineering, supply chain management, manufacturing, advanced packaging, final assembly and test.

The products that the Company manufactures for its OEM customers includes optical communications devices, such as selective switching products, such as reconfigurable optical add-drop modules (ROADMs), optical amplifiers, modulators and other optical components and modules that collectively enable network managers to route signals through fiber traffic at various wavelengths and over various distances; tunable transponders and transceivers that eliminate the need to stock individual fixed wavelength transponders and transceivers used in voice and data communications networks; and active optical cables providing high-speed interconnect capabilities for data centers and computing clusters, as well as Infiniband, Ethernet, fiber channel and optical backplane connectivity.

Solid state, diode-pumped, gas and fiber lasers (industrial lasers) used across a array of industries, including semiconductor processing (wafer inspection, wafer dicing, wafer scribing), biotechnology (DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, hematology, antibody detection), metrology (instrumentation, calibration, inspection), and material processing (photo processing, textile cutting, annealing, marking, engraving); and sensors, including differential pressure, micro-gyro, fuel and other sensors that are used in automobiles, and non-contact temperature measurement sensors for the medical industry. The Company also designs and fabricates application-specific crystals, pri! sms, mirrors, laser components and substrates (customized optics) and other custom and standard borosilicate, clear fused quartz, and synthetic fused silica glass products (customized glass).

The Company competes with Sanmina-SCI Corporation, Celestica Inc., Venture Corporation Limited, Benchmark Electronics, Inc, Browave Corporation, Fujian Castech Crystals, Inc., Research Electro-Optic, Inc. and Photop Technologies, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [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 Fabrinet (NYSE: FN  ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.

• [By Seth Jayson]

  Fabrinet (NYSE: FN  ) reported earnings on April 29. Here are the numbers you need to know.

  The 10-second takeaway
  For the quarter ended March 29 (Q3), Fabrinet beat expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Fabrinet (NYSE: FN) is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.35 per share on revenue of $172.02 million.

  Sky-mobi (NASDAQ: MOBI) is projected to report its Q2 results.

Hot Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now: Tokyo Electron Ltd (TOELY.PK)

Tokyo Electron Limited is a company mainly engaged in the manufacture and sale of electronic products for industrial uses. The Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, Flat-panel Display (FPD) and Photovoltaic Cell (PV) Manufacturing Equipment segment provides coaters and developers for wafer processing, plasma etching equipment, thermal processing systems, single wafer deposition systems, cleaning systems, coaters and developers for FPD manufacturing, ashing devices and plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) devices. The Electronic Component and Information Communication Equipment segment designs, develops, purchases and sells semiconductor products such as integrated circuits (ICs), computer and network equipment and software. The Others segment involves in logistics, facility management and insurance businesses. On April 1, 2013, it merged with two subsidiaries. In January 2014, the Company established TEL-Applied Holdings B.V. and a Japan-based company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]

  Ultratech isn't the only game in town, though, and there are multiple technologies and process steps that are going to play significant roles in the production of FinFETs and 3D circuits. With that, I would take a look at Mattson Technologies (MTSN), as this company has already accomplished the not-so-easy task of gaining meaningful share in the dry strip, rapid thermal processing (RTP), and etch markets despite competing with giants like Lam Research (LRCX), Applied Materials (AMAT), and Tokyo Electron (TOELY.PK).

Hot Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now: Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc (FURX)

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a drug development collaboration company. The Company�� product pipeline includes two marketed products and three programs in development, including late-stage compounds, in multiple therapeutic areas. Its programs include Priligy, Alogliptin Nesina, Alogliptin/Actose Combination, Alogliptin/Metformin Combination, Fluoroquinolone, Mu Delta and PPD 10558. In November 2011, it acquired full exclusive license rights to develop and commercialize the compound MuDelta under its existing development and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V.

Priligy (dapoxetine) is a drug developed for the on-demand treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). Dapoxetine is a short-acting, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) designed to be taken only when needed one to three hours before sexual intercourse is anticipated rather than every day. Nesina (alogliptin) is a drug for the oral treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Alogliptin is a DPP-4 inhibitor that slows the inactivation of incretin hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP).

Fluoroquinolone drug candidate is a Phase II-ready novel fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is being developed by the Company for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections, such as abscesses that occur deep in the skin layers and respiratory infections. This antibiotic has a spectrum of activity and is able to treat methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. The Company is developing both oral and intravenous (IV) formulations. The Company is developing Mu Delta for treatment of diarrheal predominant irritable bowel syndrome (d-IBS). The Company is conducting a Phase II study on an oral formulation of Mu Delta.

The Company is developing PPD 10558 for the treatment of dyslipidemia. PPD 10558 has shown muscle safety in preclinical studies by minimizing the delivery of the drug to the muscle. The Company has filed an inve! stigational new drug (IND) application with the United States Food and Drug Association and completed five clinical studies.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:FURX) reported dosing of the first patient in its Phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies evaluating efficacy, safety and tolerability of MuDelta (JNJ-27018966) in the treatment of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

• [By Lisa Levin]

  Furiex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: FURX) shares moved up 28.41% to $102.92. The volume of Furiex Pharmaceuticals shares traded was 2285% higher than normal. Forest Labs (NYSE: FRX) announced its plans to buy Furiex Pharma for up to $1.46 billion.

• [By John Udovich]

  Yesterday, small cap drug development collaboration company Furiex Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: FURX) surged 129.91% after announcing that its experimental drug had alleviated diarrhea and abdominal pain caused by irritable bowel syndrome in two studies, meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock because that�� a condition that effects millions of people (with no other effective drug to treat it) plus take a look at the�performance of biotech benchmarks iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index ETF (NASDAQ: IBB) and SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (NYSEARCA: XBI).

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Top Headline
  Forest Laboratories (NYSE: FRX) announced its plans to buy Furiex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: FURX) for up to $1.46 billion. Forest will pay around $95 per share, or around $1.1 billion in cash. Forest Labs will also pay up to $30 per share, or around $360 million in a contingent value right. The deal is projected to close in the second or third quarter of 2014.

Hot Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now: IPG Photonics Corporation(IPGP)

IPG Photonics Corporation develops and manufactures fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers, and diode lasers. Its laser products include low, medium, and high output power lasers from 0.5 to 2 microns in wavelength; fiber pigtailed packaged diodes and fiber coupled direct diode laser systems; high-energy pulsed lasers, multi-wavelength and tunable lasers, and single-polarization and single-frequency lasers; solid-state lasers; laser diode chips and packaged laser diodes operating at 9XX nanometers; and high power optical fiber delivery cables, fiber couplers, beam switches, chillers, and accessories. The company also offers erbium-doped fiber and Raman amplifiers, and integrated communications systems; ytterbium and thulium specialty fiber amplifiers and broadband light sources; and single-frequency, linearly polarized, and polarization-maintaining amplifier products, as well as integrated laser systems, including welding seam stepper and picker, and laser marking and welding syst ems. Its lasers and amplifiers are used in materials processing applications; manufacturing of commercial systems; and research in advanced technologies and products by commercial firms, and academic and government institutions, as well as micro-processing, surface treatment, drilling, soldering, annealing, hardening, rapid prototyping, and laser-assisted machining. In addition, the company designs and manufactures dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transport systems; a range of fiber amplifiers; and Raman pump lasers, which enable data transmission in broadband access and DWDM optical networks, as well as sells commercial fiber and diode lasers for use in medical laser systems. It markets its products to original equipment manufacturers, system integrators, and end users through direct sales force, as well as through agreements with independent sales representatives and distributors worldwide. IPG Photonics Corporation was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Oxford, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, fiber-based laser and amplifier maker IPG Photonics (NASDAQ: IPGP  ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

• [By Brian Stoffel]

  Last week, I introduced�five companies I was considering as my stock pick for the month: Nuverra Environmental, Apple , IPG Photonics � (NASDAQ: IPGP  ) , Dangdang, and SodaStream . Today, I'm going to tell you about the company I'm picking, the reasons why, and offer access to a special free report at the end of the article.

Hot Tech Companies To Watch In Right Now: Solarwinds Inc.(SWI)

SolarWinds, Inc. designs, develops, markets, sells, and supports enterprise information technology (IT) infrastructure management software for IT professionals in various organizations in the United States and internationally. The company offers enterprise-class IT management products, including Network Performance Monitor, a server-based fault and performance management platform to minimize network downtime; Network Performance Monitor modules, a series of add-ons; network configuration manager to automate the processes of network device discovery, network inventory management, and network change management; user device tracker, a server-based switch port management tool; scalability engines to increase the scale of a number of the products; and enterprise operations console to provide web-based views of various instances of Network Performance Monitor modules and Application Performance Monitor. Its enterprise-class network and IT management products also comprise Applic ation Performance Monitor, a server-based availability and performance management system for applications and server infrastructure; patch manager to automate the process of deploying, managing, and reporting on patches and configuration settings; and synthetic end user monitor to capture the user steps of any web application and monitor the end-user experience; storage manager that combines reporting, monitoring, and notification on the performance of storage resources; backup profiler to provide a consolidated view of the status of backup operations; virtualization manager to manage various aspects of virtual server infrastructure; and log and event manager to automate the collection and interpretation of logs. In addition, the company provides free tools, such as desktop, laptop, server-based, or internet-based applications; and tools and toolsets for specific solutions of routine and complicated tasks. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas .

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Travis Hoium]

  What: Shares of SolarWinds (NYSE: SWI  ) dropped 14% today as investors reacted to the company's acquisition plans.

  So what: Yesterday, the company announced it will buy N-able, a cloud-based IT infrastructure company, for $120 million. This is expected to reduce 2013 earnings and there's no guarantee the acquisition will pay off, so investors sold off shares today. �

• [By Hilary Kramer]

  Next Page

  Tech Stocks That’ll Survive: SolarWinds (SWI)

  SolarWinds (SWI), contrary to what you might think from its name, is not a solar company. It is a software company with a presence in both virtualization and security, and offers solid profit potential thanks to dedicated customers and a growth rate that is already outpacing the overall industry.