Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) Sees Strong Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Friday . Approximately 2,168,117 shares were traded during 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNPR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Juniper Networks in a report on Monday, September 16th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of Juniper Networks in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Juniper Networks from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price target 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 issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.50.

Juniper Networks Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $37.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.78, a PEG ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.89.

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. Juniper Networks’s payout ratio is currently 115.79%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Juniper Networks

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Juniper Networks by 2,069.4% in the 2nd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 781 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares in the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC bought a new position in shares of Juniper Networks during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 60.3% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,188 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Juniper Networks by 71.4% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,546 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the period. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Juniper Networks during the third quarter worth approximately $61,000. Institutional investors 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.