Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) Downgraded to Buy Rating by StockNews.com

Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on JNPR. Barclays increased their price target on Juniper Networks from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI raised shares of Juniper Networks from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Juniper Networks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.80.

Juniper Networks Price Performance

Shares of JNPR traded down $0.18 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $36.02. 3,944,521 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,202,359. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.00 billion, a PE ratio of 41.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.87. Juniper Networks has a fifty-two week low of $33.72 and a fifty-two week high of $39.79. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.77.

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

Insider Activity at Juniper Networks

In other news, COO Manoj Leelanivas sold 30,978 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 94,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,413,651.42. This represents a 24.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.28% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Juniper Networks

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new position in Juniper Networks in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 47.8% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,123 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,188 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 91.9% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,263 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Juniper Networks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.95% of the company’s stock.

About Juniper Networks

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.