Technology stocks have performed very well throughout the
current bull market. Over the past five years, the technology sector has
returned 58.6% and has been the fourth-best performing sector, behind
health care, consumer discretionary and consumer staples.
However, the group of stocks that have helped continue driving indexes higher, nicknamed FANG stocks,
are all well-known technology stocks. Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and
Google make up the acronym and have been explosive outperformers and
drivers of market gains throughout the last several years.
While the technology sector has been a strong performer, picking
individual companies within the sector has seemed to provide even
stronger gains. While the FANG stocks specifically are forecast to stay
relatively flat for 2016, aggressive investors could research these five
micro-cap technology stocks for gains in 2016
Internet Gold
Internet Gold Golden Lines Ltd. (NASDAQ: IGLD) is a
communications company based in Israel. The $203.59 million company
soared last year, returning 62.88%.
Internet Gold struggled significantly in 2014, but managed to contain
issues and have a relatively decent 2015. For instance, the
communications company reported third quarter 2015 earnings in November
2015 that showed the company had earnings per share (EPS) of 2 cents on
revenue of $663 million, after posting negative results in the third
quarter of 2014.
Turning to the fundamentals, Internet Gold Golden
Lines has a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.86 and a price/earnings
to growth
(PEG) ratio of 1.12. The stock is undervalued compared to sales, cash
and free cash flow, as seen with a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 0.08, a
price-to-cash (P/C) ratio of 0.24 and a price to free cash flow (P/FCF)
ratio of 0.28. While Internet Gold is a small stock with no analyst
coverage, the company has improved greatly since 2014, which is the
reasoning behind shares soaring 119% in the past six months and 62.88%
in past year.
NCI
NCI, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCIT)
is a provider of information technology services, primarily to
government agencies, defense, intelligence and health care providers.
Based in the United States, NCI has a market cap of $188.64 million and
has outperformed in the past year, returning 28.87%.
In September 2015, NCI won a U.S. Army contract
worth $14 million pertaining to software testing in Fort Hood, Texas.
Additionally, in October 2015, NCI won yet another U.S. Army contract
worth $211 million to work on U.S. Army Program Executive Office (PEO)
programs in Virginia. These key contracts will continue to help push
NCI’s earnings higher over the next year.
Turning to fundamentals, NCI has a P/E ratio of 17.01, and a forward
P/E of 15.95. NCI is undervalued when considering sales and free cash
flow, as is seen with a P/S of 0.58 and a P/FCF of 7.58. NCI currently
has a total debt to equity (D/E) of 0.11 and essentially no cash on
hand.
Cohu
Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ: COHU)
offers semiconductor testing systems and solutions and operates in the
U.S. The $292.39 million company has performed relatively in line with
overall markets in the past year, returning -3.52%.
Unlike the last two stocks, Cohu does have some analyst coverage,
which currently registers an overall buy consensus. In August 2015, Cohu
was upgraded from neutral to buy at Sidoti & Co., and July 2015 saw
Dougherty & Co reiterate its buy rating on the company, but it did
lower Cohu's target price to $14 from $16.
Cohu reported third quarter earnings in October 2015 that showed the
company had adjusted EPS of 17 cents on revenue of $67.5 million. Cohu
currently has a P/E of 62.17 and a forward P/E of 15.61. Cohu has an
undervalued a P/S of 0.97, and strong cash flow with a P/FCF of 10.08.
Additionally, Cohu has no debt, registers cash per share of 3.47 and
pays an annual dividend of 2.14%. Cohu's forward guidance is largely
contingent on the overall outlook of the semiconductor industry. Since
Cohu relies on testing of semiconductors, it is important to consider
semiconductor volumes, sales and innovations, such as LG's recent 8K TV,
which was unveiled at CES 2015.
Hurco
Hurco Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HURC)
specializes in technology solutions for industrial and manufacturing
clients. More specifically, Hurco offers computer-programmed tools that
assist in a variety of metal cutting techniques. The U.S.-based company
has a market cap of $179 million and has returned -14.64% in the past
year.
In January 2016, Hurco reported its fourth quarter and full year 2015
results. For the fourth quarter, Hurco reported its EPS came in at 72
cents and its full-year 2015 EPS registered at $2.44. Fourth quarter
2015 revenue jumped 6% from the same period in 2014, and full-year
revenue saw a 8% increase from full-year 2014 results. Hurco has a
current P/E ratio of 11.02, an undervalued P/S ratio of 0.83 and an
undervalued P/FCF ratio of 8.91. Its total debt/equity (D/E) is
essentially nonexistent at 0.01, and its cash per share is strong at
7.63, giving the company a strong current ratio of 3.4. Hurco also pays
an annual dividend of 1.17%.
ReneSola
ReneSola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL)
is a bit of a wild card for investors seeking high-risk, high-return
opportunities. ReneSola is a Chinese solar panel manufacturer that has
outperformed over the past year, returning 28.79%. ReneSola's most
recent earnings release took place in November 2015 for its third
quarter 2015 release. For the third quarter of 2015, ReneSola posted EPS
of 8 cents on revenue of $368.2 million. Zacks Investment Research was
forecasting EPS of -5 cents on revenue of $335 million.
Currently, ReneSola is not profitable and is not forecast to reach
profitability within the next year. However, the stock is undervalued
when looking at sales and free cash flow: it has a P/S ratio of 0.13 and
a P/FCF of 2.58.
Aside from a lack of profitability, there is a concern with debt.
ReneSola had $750 million in debt on its balance sheet as of September
2015, and cash of $86 million. However, ReneSola is forecasting strong
earnings growth moving forward; the company sees stronger monetization
from projects in Japan and the United Kingdom, and there are strong cash
flow figures.
However, a struggling China
could put potential risks on companies such as ReneSola. While solar
power's long-term outlook remains strong, there are certainly some
near-term headwinds that investors should keep in mind.