Major software makers: 1 buy and 1 hold

Article Excerpt

Symantec and Fair Isaac (see next article) continue to spend heavily on research, which is helping them profit as businesses spend more on cybersecurity and fraud prevention. We like the long-term outlook for both, but Symantec is the better choice right now. SYMANTEC CORP. $21 (Nasdaq symbol SYMC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 679.2 million; Market cap: $14.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.2; Dividend yield: 2.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.symantec.com) sells computer-security technology, including antivirus and email-filtering software, to businesses and consumers. In 2014, the company said it would split into two publicly traded firms. One would keep the Symantec name and focus on antivirus and security software and services. The other, called Veritas Technologies, makes products for data backup and recovery. However, the company has now decided to sell Veritas to a group of private investors for $8.0 billion. It expects to close the deal on January 1, 2016. The cash will let Symantec keep paying…