Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) Stock Holdings Increased by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) by 12.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,759 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,633 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Juniper Networks were worth $538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Juniper Networks by 2,069.4% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 781 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 745 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Juniper Networks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in Juniper Networks during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Juniper Networks in the first quarter worth $43,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Juniper Networks in the first quarter valued at $55,000. 91.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Juniper Networks Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNPR opened at $38.77 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $38.70 and its 200-day moving average is $36.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.69. Juniper Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.87 and a 52 week high of $39.79. The company has a market capitalization of $12.60 billion, a PE ratio of 56.19, a P/E/G ratio of 11.28 and a beta of 0.93.

Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The network equipment provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.25 billion. Juniper Networks had a net margin of 4.58% and a return on equity of 8.02%. Juniper Networks’s quarterly revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Juniper Networks, Inc. will post 0.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.27%. Juniper Networks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 127.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of Juniper Networks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Juniper Networks in a research report on Monday, September 16th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Juniper Networks in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Barclays lowered their price target on Juniper Networks from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Juniper Networks in a report on Friday, July 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.67.

Juniper Networks 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.