Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) Short Interest Up 24.8% in February

Juniper Networks, Inc. (NYSE:JNPR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,180,000 shares, an increase of 24.8% from the January 31st total of 9,760,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.3 days.

Juniper Networks Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:JNPR traded up $0.01 on Friday, hitting $36.07. The company had a trading volume of 3,126,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,190,817. The stock has a market cap of $12.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.86. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.69. Juniper Networks has a 1-year low of $33.72 and a 1-year high of $39.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The network equipment provider reported $0.45 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%. Analysts expect that Juniper Networks will post 1.33 EPS for the current year.

Juniper Networks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. Juniper Networks's dividend payout ratio is 102.33%.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus downgraded Juniper Networks from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Juniper Networks from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI upgraded shares of Juniper Networks from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $40.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Juniper Networks from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Juniper Networks has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 transaction of $1,115,827.56. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 94,771 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,413,651.42. This represents a 24.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.28% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Juniper Networks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Juniper Networks by 47.8% during 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 during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 447 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Juniper Networks by 91.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,263 shares of the network equipment provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 605 shares during the period. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Juniper Networks during the 3rd quarter worth $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.