Brokerages Set Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) PT at $39.80

Shares of Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the six research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $39.80.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on JNPR. Argus cut Juniper Networks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $40.00 price target on shares of Juniper Networks in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI raised shares of Juniper Networks from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Juniper Networks from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Juniper Networks from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th.

Juniper Networks Stock Performance

JNPR opened at $35.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Juniper Networks has a 12-month low of $33.72 and a 12-month high of $39.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.99 billion, a PE ratio of 41.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. Juniper Networks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 102.33%.

Insider Activity at Juniper Networks

In related news, COO Manoj Leelanivas sold 30,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.02, for a total value of $1,115,827.56. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 94,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,413,651.42. This trade represents a 24.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Juniper Networks

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Juniper Networks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,872,000. Alpine Global Management LLC lifted its holdings in Juniper Networks by 51.6% in the 4th quarter. Alpine Global Management LLC now owns 151,564 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $5,676,000 after purchasing an additional 51,564 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Juniper Networks by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 3,941,105 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $147,594,000 after purchasing an additional 311,836 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Juniper Networks during the fourth quarter worth $21,268,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 8,976 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 1,007 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.95% of the company’s stock.

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.