Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) shares saw unusually-strong 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on JNPR shares. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $40.00 price objective on shares of Juniper Networks in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated 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 initiated coverage on shares of Juniper Networks in a research note on Monday, September 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Juniper Networks from $40.00 to $37.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $39.50.

Juniper Networks Stock Up 0.4 %

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 business has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.93, a P/E/G ratio of 11.75 and a beta of 0.88.

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Juniper Networks’s payout ratio is currently 115.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JNPR. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Juniper Networks by 14,314.7% in the 2nd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,832,105 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $176,179,000 after buying an additional 4,798,583 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Juniper Networks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,337,000. Twin Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Juniper Networks by 760.3% in the 3rd quarter. Twin Securities Inc. now owns 678,257 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $26,438,000 after acquiring an additional 599,420 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 15,758,844 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock worth $614,280,000 after purchasing an additional 574,418 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its holdings in Juniper Networks by 172,681.3% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 552,900 shares of the network equipment provider’s stock valued at $21,552,000 after purchasing an additional 552,580 shares during the last quarter. 91.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.