5 Best Information Technology Stocks To Watch For 2014

CA Technologies (CA) is an enterprise information technology (IT) management software and solutions company. The company�� products are designed to operate in a range of IT environments, from mainframe and physical to virtual and cloud. The company has three operating segments: Mainframe Solutions, Enterprise Solutions and Services.

GTM Strategy

The company adopted the ��o to market�� sales strategy. An action plan that specifies how a company will reach customers and achieve competitive advantage through all the commercial functions including sales, marketing, brand management, pricing and consumer insight, to drive the bottom line.

Small Acquisitions

In 2010, the company acquired privately held Nimsoft, a provider of IT performance monitoring solutions for $350 million in cash. In Sep 2010, CA signed a definitive agreement to acquire Hyperformix Inc. Recently; it acquired Layer 7 Technologies, a leading provider of Application Programming Interface (API) security and management. Furthermore, the acquisition of Arcot Systems Inc., a privately held company that provides authentication and fraud prevention software, in a move to boost its security offerings. These acquisitions have helped the firm to strengthen its cloud computing infrastructure and would also help to generate better profitability from the existing technology assets.

Top 5 Defense Companies To Watch For 2015: Entegris Inc. (ENTG)

Entegris, Inc. develops, manufactures, and supplies products and materials used in processing and manufacturing in the semiconductor and other high-technology industries worldwide. It operates in three segments: Contamination Control Solutions, Microenvironments, and Specialty Materials. The Contamination Control Solutions segment offers liquid filtration products, components and systems, and gas filtration products that purify, monitor, and deliver critical liquids and gases to the semiconductor manufacturing process and similar manufacturing processes. The Microenvironments segment provides wafer and reticle handling products, wafer shipping products, and data storage products to preserve the integrity of wafers, reticles, and electronic components at various stages of transport, processing, and storage. The Specialty Materials segment offers graphite components used in semiconductor equipment; and low-temperature, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition coatings for c ritical components of semiconductor manufacturing equipment used in various stages of the manufacturing process. The company sells its products primarily through direct sales force, and strategic and independent distributors to integrated circuit device manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), gas and chemical manufacturing companies, and high-precision electronics manufacturers; and electrical discharge machining customers, glass container manufacturers, aerospace manufacturers, and biomedical implantation device manufacturers, as well as flat panel display OEMs, materials suppliers, and end users. Entegris, Inc. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  ATMI (NASDAQ: ATMI) shot up 25.51 percent to $33.80 after the company reported upbeat Q4 earnings. Entegris (NASDAQ: ENTG) announced its plans to acquire ATMI.

• [By Michael Calia]

  Entegris Inc.(ENTG) agreed to acquire ATMI for $1.15 billion, a deal that would combine two semiconductor industry suppliers in Entegris’ bid to become a more global leader. Entegris shares surged 17% to $12 premarket, while ATMI rose 25% to $33.76, approaching the offer price of $34 a share.

5 Best Information Technology Stocks To Watch For 2014: UGI Corporation (UGI)

UGI Corporation distributes, stores, transports, and markets energy products and related services in the United States and internationally. It distributes propane to approximately 2.3 million residential, commercial/industrial, motor fuel, agricultural, and wholesale customers in 50 states through 2,100 propane distribution locations; and sells, installs, and services propane appliances, including heating systems. The company also distributes liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and automobile fuel customers for space and water heating, cooking, process heat, forklifts, transportation, construction work, manufacturing, crop drying, power generation, and irrigation; and provides logistic and storage services to third-party LPG distributors. In addition, it distributes natural gas to approximately 600,000 customers primarily in the portions of 46 eastern and central Pennsylvania counties through its distribution system of 12,000 mi les of gas mains; and supplies electricity to approximately 60,000 customers in northeastern Pennsylvania through 2,100 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and 13 transmission substations. Further, the company is involved in the retail sale of natural gas, liquid fuels, and electricity to approximately 18,000 commercial and industrial customers at approximately 43,000 locations. Additionally, it operates electric generation facilities, which include solar and landfill gas facilities; a natural gas liquefaction, storage, and vaporization facility; propane storage and propane-air mixing stations; and rail transshipment terminals. The company also manages natural gas pipeline and storage contracts; and develops, owns, and operates pipelines, gathering infrastructure, and gas storage facilities. In addition, it provides heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and electrical contracting services. The company was founded in 1882 and is based in King of Pru ssia, Pennsylvania.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Smith]

  AmeriGas Propane, the general partner of AmeriGas Partners (NYSE: APU  ) and subsidiary of propane distributor UGI (NYSE: UGI  ) , announced Monday that it has promoted its treasurer, Hugh J. Gallagher, to the position of company vice president for finance, and chief financial officer.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Monday

  Earnings Releases Expected: Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI), Salesforce.com Inc (NYSE: CRM Economic Releases Expected: Hong Kong unemployment rate, eurozone current account, Spanish current account

  Tuesday

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Monday

  Earnings Releases Expected: UGI Corporation (NYSE: UGI), Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), First Bancorp. (NYSE: FBP) Economic Releases Expected: �Indian services PMI, Spanish services PMI, Italian services PMI, German services PMI, eurozone services PMI, British services PMI, German CPI, US ISM non-manufacturing PMI

  Tuesday

5 Best Information Technology Stocks To Watch For 2014: Zygo Corporation(ZIGO)

Zygo Corporation designs, develops, and manufactures ultra-high precision measurement solutions to enhance its customers? manufacturing yields, and optical sub-systems and components for original equipment manufacturer and end-user applications in the Americas, the Far East, and Europe. It operates in two segments, Metrology Solutions and Optical Systems. The Metrology Solutions segment offers 3-Dimensional surface metrology products, precision positioning systems, and custom engineered solutions that are used to measure surface characteristics and critical parameters, including topography and roughness, shape, dimension, thickness, optical characteristics, and defects. This segment primarily provides NewView Series 3D Optical Profilers for fuel injector components; ZeGage to measure and visualize various materials, including rubber, paper, metal, plastic, and ceramics; VeriFire Asphere system that provides high resolution 3-Dimensional surface metrology for aspheric shap ed surfaces; VeriFire Systems, which are optical systems; GPI and VeriFire systems for the defense/aerospace market; and semiconductor products. It serves automotive, consumer electronics, medical, aerospace, military, materials research, optics, flat panel displays, and semiconductor industries. The Optical Systems segment manufactures high precision optical components and electro-optical systems used in the semiconductor, defense, life-sciences, and research markets. It offers defense-related products comprising lenses, windows, freeform optics and assemblies, and meter class optical components; life-science products, such as laser eye correction, dental 3D imaging, and genomic analysis instruments; and custom components and assemblies used in the manufacture of semiconductor chips. The company markets its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent agents and distributors. Zygo Corporation was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Middlefield, Co nnecticut.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Monica Gerson]

  Zygo (NASDAQ: ZIGO) shares gained 31.06% to touch a new 52-week high of $19.24 after Ametek (NYSE: AME) announced its plans to buy Zygo for about $364 million.

5 Best Information Technology Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cleantech Solutions International Inc (CLNT)

Cleantech Solutions International, Inc., incorporated on June 24, 1987, manufactures and sells forged products and fabricated products to a range of clean technology customers, including forged rolled rings and related products for the wind power industry and other industries and equipment to the solar industry. The Company also makes textile dyeing and finishing machines. The Company is owner of Fulland Limited (Fulland). Fulland owns 100% of Green Power Environment Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Green Power) and Wuxi Fulland Wind Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. (Fulland Wind Energy), which are wholly foreign-owned enterprises (WFOE) organized under the laws of the People�� Republic of China. Green Power is a party to a series of contractual arrangements with Wuxi Huayang Electrical Power Equipment Co., Ltd. (Electrical) and Wuxi Huayang Dyeing Machinery Co., Ltd. (Dyeing). Dyeing produces and sells a range of high and low temperature dyeing and finishing machinery for the textile industry. The Company refers to this segment as the dyeing division. The Company is engaged in two business segments: the forged rolled rings and related components segment, in which it manufacture and sell forged rolled rings, yaw bearings and shafts, and other forged components for the wind power and other industries, as well as equipment for the solar power industry, and the dyeing and finishing equipment segment, in which it manufactures and sell textile dyeing and finishing machines.

Forged Rolled Rings and Related Components Segment

The Company produces precision forged rolled rings and other forged components to the wind and other industries. Forged rolled rings and other forged components for the wind industry are used in wind turbines, which are used to generate wind power. It also manufactures shafts and forged rolled rings for gear rims, flanges and other applications. In addition to the wind industry, it sells its forged rolled rings and other forged components in other industries, inclu! ding heavy machinery manufacturing, petrochemical, metallurgical, sea port machinery, defense and radar manufacturing industries, which uses its forged rolled rings railway as components in the manufacture of equipment. It produces precision forgings using axial close-die forging technology, which is a technology for producing rotary precision forgings, using forging equipment, which it manufactured for its own use.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company manufactured and delivered test subassemblies for solar cell manufacturing equipment, which marked its entry into the solar products market. It supplies solar components used in production of multi crystalline and mono crystalline silicon wafers. Solar industry capabilities include the manufacture of complex pressure vessels and chamber, high temperature vessels, and thick-walled vessels. Its forged rolled rings and other related products are sold for use by manufacturers of industrial equipment.

The Company competes with Wuxi Dachang Group.

Dyeing and Finishing Equipment Segment

Through the Company�� dyeing and finishing segment, it designs, manufactures and distributes a range of high and low temperature dyeing and finishing machinery. Its products feature both automation and mechanical-electrical integration. Its products are used in dyeing yarns, such as pure cotton, cotton-polyester, terylene, polyester wool, poly-acrylic fiber, nylon, cotton ramie, and wool yarn.

The Company competes with Fong�� National Engineering (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Roberto Pedone]

  Another basic materials player that looks ready to trigger a major breakout trade is Cleantech Solutions (CLNT), which manufactures and sells high-precision forged rolled rings, yaw bearings and shafts. It also manufactures and sells textile dyeing and finishing machines. This stock is off to a strong start in 2013, with shares up 58%.

  If you take a look at the chart for Cleantech Solutions, you'll notice that this stock has been uptrending for the last two months and change, with shares moving higher from its low of $4.82 to its recent high of $7.04 a share. During that uptrend, shares of CLNT have been consistently making higher lows and higher highs, which is bullish technical price action. That move has now pushed shares of CLNT within range of triggering a major breakout trade.

  Traders should now look for long-biased trades in CLNT if it manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $6.68 to $7.04 a share, and then once it takes out more resistance at $7.79 a share with high volume. Look for a sustained move or close above those levels with volume that hits near or above its three-month average volume of 758,917 shares. If that breakout hits soon, then CLNT will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $9 to $10 a share.

  Traders can look to buy CLNT off any weakness to anticipate that breakout and simply use a stop that sits right below its 50-day at $5.67 a share, or around more support at $5 a share. One could also buy CLNT off strength once it takes out those breakout levels with volume and then simply use a stop that sits a comfortable percentage from your entry point.