Traditionally, technology companies have reinvested their cash in R&D or acquisitions rather than handing it directly over to shareholders. But, according to a recent Bloomberg article, they paid out more in dividends in the third quarter than financial stocks. That’s right, S&P data show that tech stocks accounted for 9.2% of the close to $210 billion in dividends paid out as of Oct. 7, while financial stocks, a favorite among dividend investors, only accounted for 8.9%.

What’s more, tech stocks have been leading the charge in the market rally that began in early September. Capital appreciation and now dividends — sounds like a good deal to us.

Here are seven tech stocks yielding at least 3% in dividend payments.

Market Cap: $107.57B

Yield: 3.2%

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) is a semiconductor chip maker that develops products for the computing and communications fields. Some of its products include microprocessors, chipsets, motherboards, as well as wired and wireless connectivity products. Year-to-date, INTC stock has slid 5.3% compared to small gains by the broader markets. But while the stock has dropped slightly, Intel has outperformed earnings estimates for four consecutive quarters. Additionally, shareholders are being rewarded with a quarterly dividend of $0.16 that will be paid on Dec. 1.

Market Cap: $1.45B

Yield: 4.1%

Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL) is a designer, developer, manufacturer and marketer of high-performance analog integrated circuits. 2010 has been unkind to ISIL, as the tech stocked has dropped 23.4% since January. But the stock appears to be regaining and is up more than 15% since the beginning of September. ISIL currently trades at just under $12. Intersil doles out a quarterly dividend to its shareholders, which was last paid on Aug. 20. A sum of $0.12 is given out each quarter, good for a 4.1% dividend yield.

Market Cap: $5.49B

Yield: 4.6%

Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM) designs, develops, manufactures and markets analog circuits. Year-to-date, MXIM stock has not fared as well as shareholders would have hoped, falling 9.5% since January. However, Maxim has also rebounded in the last six weeks and has climbed 14% since September. Aside from the recent gains, shareholders were given a quarterly dividend of $0.21 on Sept. 3. The 4.6% yield is another reason that this stock is worth considering. With a stock price of $18.40, MXIM is trading midway in its 52-week range of $15.67-$21.36.

Market Cap: $5.66B

Yield: 4.5%

Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP) develops and manufactures a wide range of semiconductor products. Since January, MCHP stock has gained 4.9%, compared to similar gains by the broader markets. Like others on this list, Microchip had a great month of September and is up 8.7% since Sept. 1. Earnings have also been a highlight for the company, as it has outperformed estimates for four straight quarters. MCHP has been lining the pockets of shareholders with a quarterly dividend since 2002. Most recently, the tech stock paid $0.34 to stockholders on Sept. 2, good for a 4.5% yield. 

Market Cap: $3.14B

Yield: 3.1%

National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) focuses on analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits and sub-systems. NSM offers a wide range of products and services, including power management circuits, audio and operational amplifiers, communication interface products and data conversion solutions. Year-to-date, the semiconductor stock has slipped 14.8%, but is up nearly 4% since the start of September.  NSM has also posted strong earnings and has outperformed earnings estimate for four consecutive quarters. On Oct. 12, the tech stock paid a quarterly dividend of $0.10 to stockholders, good for a 3.1% dividend yield.

Market Cap: $41.04B

Yield: 4.5%

Nokia Corporation (NYSE: NOK) is primarily known for manufacturing mobile phones. Nokia has recovered from a mid-summer slump and has gained 24% since the beginning of September. During that time, the stock has jumped from its 52-week low of $8, back to around $11. Nokia has been paying an annual dividend to shareholders since 1995.

Market Cap: $4.50B

Yield: 6.7%

Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) provides its clients mail processing equipment and integrated mail solutions. PBI facilitates the flow of physical and electronic mail, documents and packages for its clients. Since January, the stock has remained close to even, down around 4%. However, since Sept. 1, PBI has jumped 11.6%. Likewise, this tech stock has outperformed earnings estimates each of the last four quarters.

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