Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 2,168,117 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 44% from the previous session’s volume of 1,505,070 shares.The stock last traded at $37.76 and had previously closed at $37.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of Juniper Networks in a research report on Friday, November 1st. StockNews.com began coverage on Juniper Networks in a research report on Monday, September 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on Juniper Networks from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Juniper Networks in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Juniper Networks has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.50.

Juniper Networks Trading Up 0.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $37.36 and a 200 day moving average of $37.84. The stock has a market cap of $12.56 billion, a PE ratio of 49.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.88.

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Juniper Networks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 115.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Juniper Networks

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oak Thistle LLC boosted its position in Juniper Networks by 4.6% during the second quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 8,015 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $292,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its stake in Juniper Networks by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 27,941 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Juniper Networks by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 5,791 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $211,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares in the last quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Juniper Networks by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 11,485 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Juniper Networks by 60.3% during the third 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 during the period. 91.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.