Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the six research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $39.80.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Juniper Networks from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Argus downgraded shares of Juniper Networks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Juniper Networks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised Juniper Networks from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Juniper Networks Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of JNPR opened at $36.12 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Juniper Networks has a 52-week low of $33.72 and a 52-week high of $39.79. The company has a market cap of $12.03 billion, a PE ratio of 41.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $36.69 and a 200 day moving average of $37.56.

Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The network equipment provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.13). Juniper Networks had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 7.57%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Juniper Networks will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.44%. Juniper Networks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 102.33%.

Insider Transactions at Juniper Networks

In related news, COO Manoj Leelanivas sold 30,978 shares of Juniper Networks stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.02, for a total value of $1,115,827.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 94,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,651.42. The trade was a 24.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hollencrest Capital Management purchased a new position in Juniper Networks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Juniper Networks by 47.8% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 363 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,263 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Juniper Networks by 139.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 1,045 shares during the period. Finally, Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in Juniper Networks by 84.7% in the third quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 1,830 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 839 shares during the last quarter. 91.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Juniper Networks Company Profile

Juniper Networks, Inc designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers.