The first five months of 2016 have acted as a timely reminder of how volatile shares can be in the short term.
While many investors will use that as a reason to not invest, others are taking the opportunity to buy shares in quality businesses while they're cheap.
Of course, there aren't as many screaming buys now as there may have been at the beginning of the year, but there are still great deals to be had for buy-and-hold investors.
Here are three tech shares that are trading for less than $5 at the time of writing that could be worth your attention today.
Hansen Technologies Limited (ASX: HSN) is the name of the first company.
Hansen provides customer care and billing solutions for utility businesses around the world, with a particular focus on the energy, Pay TV and telecommunications sectors. The services that Hansen provides are often mission-critical for businesses, while they also take a long time to implement, resulting in a very sticky customer-base for Hansen.
The shares are currently fetching $3.61, and are worth the attention of long-term investors.
Catapult Group International Ltd (ASX: CAT) is also worth a closer look.
The company provides the software and hardware relied upon by elite athletes and sports teams around the world to help them monitor their on-and off-field performances, whilst they also help detect injury risk. Some of the highest-profile sports teams in the world subscribe to Catapult's products, speaking volumes for their quality. You can view a case study involving Newcastle United FC (in the English Premier League) here.
I don't own shares in the business, although it is certainly near the top of my watchlist. Its shares are currently fetching $2.73.
iSentia Group Ltd (ASX: ISD) shares are currently fetching $3.78, down from a high of $4.95.
The company provides media-monitoring services, allowing businesses around the world to track what is being said about them, when and by whom. In an increasingly globalised world, and with the rapid rise of social media and communications, this is considered a vital service for many businesses to have.
Thus, as is the case with the products provided by Hansen, many businesses would find other expenses to cut during times of economic difficulty before ridding themselves of iSentia's services.
Now, it should be noted that the actual price of a share has no bearing on its value. That is, the fact that these shares all trade for less than $5 doesn't mean much at all, although some investors prefer being able to buy more shares of a business than they could for many other shares with the same amount of coin.
Most importantly, however, the three companies mentioned above could all have further to run. iSentia would probably be my first pick of the bunch, followed by Hansen (even though I already own shares in those businesses), while I would also entertain the idea of purchasing Catapult shares today.
If none of these companies appeal to you, however, there are plenty of other shares you may be interested in instead.
