ClearAlpha Technologies LP Takes Position in Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR)

ClearAlpha Technologies LP purchased a new position in Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 142,518 shares of the network equipment provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,337,000. Juniper Networks accounts for 3.7% of ClearAlpha Technologies LP's portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Juniper Networks by 25.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 37,696 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $1,412,000 after buying an additional 7,668 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new stake in Juniper Networks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,374,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Juniper Networks by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 15,394 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $577,000 after purchasing an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Juniper Networks by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 88,162 shares of the network equipment provider's stock worth $3,302,000 after purchasing an additional 9,548 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 446,529 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $17,406,000 after purchasing an additional 21,651 shares during the period. 91.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Juniper Networks

In other Juniper Networks news, COO Manoj Leelanivas sold 30,978 shares of the firm'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 approximately $3,413,651.42. This trade represents a 24.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.28% of the company's stock.

Juniper Networks Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of JNPR traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $35.54. 1,428,365 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,252,525. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company's 50 day moving average is $35.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.85. The company has a market capitalization of $11.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.33, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.84. Juniper Networks, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.42 and a 52 week high of $39.79.

Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The network equipment provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.13). Juniper Networks had a net margin of 5.67% and a return on equity of 7.57%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Juniper Networks, Inc. will post 1.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Juniper Networks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. Juniper Networks's dividend payout ratio is presently 102.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on JNPR. Evercore ISI raised Juniper Networks from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Juniper Networks from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 28th. Argus downgraded shares of Juniper Networks from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Juniper Networks from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.80.

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.