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Juniper Networks (JNPR) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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Juniper Networks (JNPR - Free Report) closed at $34.05 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.58% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 1.64% gain on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 1.08%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq added 0.45%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the computer network equipment maker had gained 4.78% over the past month. This has outpaced the Computer and Technology sector's loss of 3.69% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.83% in that time.

Wall Street will be looking for positivity from Juniper Networks as it approaches its next earnings report date. In that report, analysts expect Juniper Networks to post earnings of $0.53 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 3.64%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.27 billion, up 4.12% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $1.71 per share and revenue of $4.71 billion, which would represent changes of +10.32% and +5.89%, respectively, from the prior year.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Juniper Networks should also be noted by investors. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Juniper Networks is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Looking at its valuation, Juniper Networks is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 19.55. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 23.74, so we one might conclude that Juniper Networks is trading at a discount comparatively.

It is also worth noting that JNPR currently has a PEG ratio of 2.17. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. Wireless Equipment stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 1.8 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Wireless Equipment industry is part of the Computer and Technology sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 156, which puts it in the bottom 39% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.


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