Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now

Any time the federal government enacts major legislation, there are inevitable winners and losers in the corporate world. That's certainly the case with major laws passed during the first four and a half years of President Obama's time in office.

The first big piece of legislation the Obama administration passed was the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA. Signed into law in 2009, ARRA spent around $800 billion with the goal to stimulate the economy. The other major victory for the administration was passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, commonly referred to as Obamacare. While these bills created varied effects -- good and bad -- for different industries, a few companies emerged as big winners from both ARRA and PPACA.

High fives for HITECH
ARRA spread that $800 billion or so around in lots of different ways. One important part of the legislation was the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH. The feds allocated almost $26 billion with HITECH to foster the adoption of health information technology by health-care providers, especially hospitals and physicians.

Top 10 Information Technology Companies To Invest In Right Now: Chimera Investment Corporation (CIM)

Chimera Investment Corporation operates as a real estate investment trust (REIT) in the United States. The company, through its subsidiaries, invests in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS), residential mortgage loans, commercial mortgage loans, real estate-related securities, and other asset classes. Its targeted asset classes include agency or non-agency RMBS; prime, jumbo prime, and Alt-A mortgage loans; first or second lien loans secured by multifamily properties, mixed residential or other commercial properties, retail properties, office properties, or industrial properties; and asset-based securities (ABS), including commercial mortgage-backed securities, debt and equity tranches of collateralized debt obligations, and consumer and non-consumer ABS. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its share holders. Chimera Inve stment Corporation was founded in 2007 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Selena Maranjian]

  Appaloosa Management reduced its stake in companies such as Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM  ) and Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO  ) . Mortgage REIT Chimera Investment recently yielded 10.9%, but it may become less attractive if Congress cancels favorable tax treatment for REITs. Chimera has taken on more risk than many of its brethren, and has had some trouble filing reports on time. Some still like its prospects, though, while others question its hefty management fees.

• [By John Maxfield]

  Well, it just so turns out that there is. And Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY  ) , the parent company in our nonhypothetical tale, has figured out how -- for the record, the publicly traded subsidiary is Chimera Investment Management (NYSE: CIM  ) .

• [By John Maxfield]

  "Nepotism has never been unknown in American banking," Martin Mayer wrote in The Greatest-Ever Bank Robbery, his 1990 book about the savings-and-loan crisis. While Mayer was referring to American Continental, the notoriously corrupt holding company run into the ground by the infamous Charles Keating in the 1980s, his point rings true today in the case of Annaly Capital Management (NYSE: NLY  ) and its publicly traded portfolio company Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM  ) .

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Because of the requirement to pay out the vast majority of their income, REITs often have extremely high dividend payouts. Mortgage REITs ARMOUR Residential (NYSE: ARR  ) and Chimera Investment (NYSE: CIM  ) use leveraged strategies to produce yields well in excess of 10%, while Omega Healthcare (NYSE: OHI  ) and Senior Housing Properties Trust (NYSE: SNH  ) , which specialize in long-term care facilities and other properties catering to older residents, both have yields between 5% and 6%.

Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Ixia(XXIA)

Ixia supplies converged network and application performance testing solutions in the United States and internationally. It designs and validates a range of Internet protocol (IP) and third generation/long-term evolution networking equipment. The company?s solutions generate realistic traffic to stress routers, switches, and converged network appliances. It provides converged IP test systems and services for wireless and wired infrastructures and services. Ixia serves network equipment manufacturers, service providers, enterprises, and government agencies. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Calabasas, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  What: Shares of Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA  ) got crushed today, down by 25% at the low, after the company announced preliminary results.

  So what: Revenue in the second quarter is expected in the range of $114 million to $116 million, shy of Ixia's previous guidance that was calling for $119 million to $122 million. The silver lining was that revenue from recent acquisitions is expected at the high end of guidance of $28 million to $32 million.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA) shares lost 2.36 percent to $11.59 after the company reported its Q4 earnings of $0.15 per share on revenue of $120.60 million. Ixia now expected Q1 sales of $109.0 million to $113.0 million.

• [By Garrett Cook]

  Ixia (NASDAQ: XXIA) shares tumbled 1.68 percent to $11.67 after the company reported its Q4 earnings of $0.15 per share on revenue of $120.60 million. Ixia now expected Q1 sales of $109.0 million to $113.0 million.

Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN)

Credit Suisse Group AG is a Switzerland-based holding company engaged in private banking, investment banking and asset management areas. It operates through four divisions: Private Banking, which consists of the Wealth Management Clients and Corporate & Institutional Clients business; Investment Banking, provides a range of financial products and services, with a focus on client-driven, flow-based and capital-efficient businesses; Asset Management, offers a range of asset class products, including alternative investments, and multi-asset class solutions, including equities and fixed income products, and Shared Services, which provides centralized corporate services and business support for the Company's divisions. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Ruth David]

  Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) and Numis Securities Ltd. managed the sale, along with Canaccord Genuity Ltd. Rothschild acted as financial adviser.

• [By Marie Mawad]

  Orange was advised by Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) and Messier, Maris & Associes. Altice was advised by Lazard Ltd. Goldman Sachs Group Inc lead the financing on the deal, working with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank AG, Barclays Plc and Credit Agricole SA.

• [By Inyoung Hwang]

  Credit Suisse (CSGN)�� Chen took a new look at publicly listed private-equity firms, including Apollo Global Management LLC, Blackstone Group LP (BX) and Carlyle Group LP. (CG) Investors are still struggling to properly value them, he says.

• [By Sharon Cho]

  Growing demand for the most-stable equities has spurred a record 31 straight days of foreign inflows into South Korean shares, while concern over Federal Reserve tapering and America�� debt-ceiling debate sent the benchmark gauge of U.S. stock volatility to a three-month high on Oct. 8. Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN), UBS Wealth Management and Bank Julius Baer & Co. say they��e bullish on South Korea as smaller price swings lure investors to companies from SK Hynix Inc. (000660) to LG Chem Ltd. (051910)

Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Enstar Group Limited (ESGR)

Enstar Group Limited, through its subsidiaries, acquires and manages insurance and reinsurance companies in run-off. The company settles insurance and reinsurance claims. It also offers management and consultancy, claims inspection, and reinsurance collection services to its affiliates and third-party clients. The company operates in the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. Enstar Group Limited was formerly known as Castlewood Holdings Limited and changed its name to Enstar Group Limited. Enstar Group Limited was founded in 2001 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson]

  In this segment from Thursday's Where the Money Is, Motley Fool financial analysts Matt Koppenheffer and David Hanson discuss Matt's stock pitch of the week, Enstar Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESGR  ) . In the insurance world, insurers can start an insurance business, or a line of insurance, that ends up performing poorly. This can force the insurer to then put that line of insurance, or the entire business, into what is known as run-off. This means they are no longer selling policies, and will only continue to manage the existing policies for the life of those policies. That is where Enstar comes in.

Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Triple-S Management Corporation (GTS)

Triple-S Management Corporation, through its subsidiaries, offers a portfolio of managed care and related products in the commercial and Medicare markets in Puerto Rico. The company operates in three segments: Managed Care, Life Insurance, and Property and Casualty Insurance. It provides managed care products, including health maintenance organization plans; preferred provider organization plans; Medicare Supplement products; Medicare Advantage products; Medicaid plans; and Medicare Part D, a prescription drug plan; and claims processing and other administrative services. The company offers its managed care products to employers, professional and trade associations, individuals, and government entities. It also provides various life, accident, disability, and health and annuity insurance products to individuals; and property and casualty insurance products, which include commercial multi-peril, commercial property mono-line, auto physical damage, auto liability, and dwelli ng policies to commercial customers. The company markets its products through a network of internal sales force, direct mail, independent brokers and agents, telemarketing staff, and the Internet. Triple-S Management Corporation was incorporated in 1997 and is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  What: Shares of Puerto Rican managed-care company Triple-S Management (NYSE: GTS  ) popped 11% today after its quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations.

Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: Canadian National Railway Company(CNI)

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail and related transportation business in North America. It provides transportation for various goods, including petroleum and chemicals, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals and minerals, forest products, and intermodal and automotive products. The company operates a network of approximately 20,600 route miles of track that spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico. It serves the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert (British Columbia), Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile (Alabama), as well as metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth (Minnesota)/Superior (Wisconsin), Green Bay (Wisconsin), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson (Mississippi), with connections to various points in North America. The company was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Railroad operator�Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI  ) announced yesterday its third-quarter dividend of $0.43 Canadian per share, the same rate it's paid for the past two quarters after raising the payout 15% from $0.375 Canadian per share.

• [By Aaron Levitt]

  The first whistle stop for investors could be Canadian National (CNI). As the owner of the two trains that collided in North Dakota, CNI shares fell pretty hard on the crude-by-rail accident and aftermath. However, Canadian National is the largest operator of railways in Canada, giving it unprecedented access to not only Bakken-based crude-by-rail shipments, but oil sands shipments as well. And that makes it one of the best railroad stocks to consider.

• [By Vanina Egea]

  Canadian National (CNI), the other railroad operator, has shown some opposition to the bill, arguing that the root problem lies in grain elevators. The debate comes at a crucial time for the industry, given an extremely harsh winter while having to move a record wheat harvest. Whatever the case, Bill Ackman (Trades, Portfolio) has been dropping Canadian Pacific throughout 2013, giving prospective investors an opportunity to pick it up. But should you?

• [By Rich Smith]

  On Wednesday, Westport announced it has begun producing liquefied natural gas (LNG) "tenders" for use by Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI  ) . A tender�is a train car whose primary purpose is carrying fuel to supply the train's locomotive engine. Westport plans to deliver its first such tender to CNR in Q4 of this year, with three more tenders to follow subsequently.

Best Information Technology Companies To Buy Right Now: MEDL Mobile Holdings Inc (MEDL)

MEDL Mobile Holdings, Inc. incorporated on May 22, 2008 is a developer, incubator, marketer and aggregator of mobile application software (Apps). The Company is engaged in the monetization of mobile application software through four revenue generating platforms: development of customized Apps for third parties to monetize their particular intellectual property, persona or brand, incubation of Apps in partnership with third parties and from a library of more than 75,000 original Apps concept submissions, sale of advertising and sponsorship opportunities directly to brands via mobile advertising networks and acquisition of Apps from other developers and use of a application programming interface ( API).

The Company develops Apps for customers that vary in size from small start-ups to large multinational corporations, in a range of industries including retailing, fast food, air travel, medical devices, higher education and fashion. As of December 31, 2011, revenues its custom development accounted for approximately 93% of its total revenues. The Company prepares packages for sale in the Apple App Store and the Google Android Marketplace. This package includes app store copy, sample screen shots.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Peter Graham]

  Small cap stocks Digital Caddies Inc (OTCMKTS: CADY), MEDL Mobile Holdings Inc (OTCMKTS: MEDL) and Yappn Corp (OTCMKTS: YPPN) offer different ways to potentially profit from Internet or mobile technology. However, all three small cap stocks have also been the subject of paid promotions or investor relations types of activities. So will investors actually profit from the efforts of these small caps to profit from the Internet or mobile technology? Here is a quick reality check: