Juniper Networks Inc. Stock Hold Recommendation Reiterated (JNPR)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Juniper Networks (NYSE:JNPR) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a hold with a ratings score of C . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and expanding profit margins. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself, deteriorating net income and disappointing return on equity.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 10.6%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 1.1%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
• JNPR's debt-to-equity ratio is very low at 0.14 and is currently below that of the industry average, implying that there has been very successful management of debt levels. To add to this, JNPR has a quick ratio of 2.36, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• The gross profit margin for JUNIPER NETWORKS INC is rather high; currently it is at 64.50%. Regardless of JNPR's high profit margin, it has managed to decrease from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, JNPR's net profit margin of 1.50% is significantly lower than the same period one year prior.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Communications Equipment industry and the overall market, JUNIPER NETWORKS INC's return on equity significantly trails that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• Despite any intermediate fluctuations, we have only bad news to report on this stock's performance over the last year: it has tumbled by 25.82%, worse than the S&P 500's performance. Consistent with the plunge in the stock price, the company's earnings per share are down 81.25% compared to the year-earlier quarter. Despite the heavy decline in its share price, this stock is still more expensive (when compared to its current earnings) than most other companies in its industry.

Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells products and services that provide network infrastructure for networking requirements of service providers, enterprises, governments, and research and public sector organizations worldwide. Juniper has a market cap of $9.18 billion and is part of the technology sector and computer hardware industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 37.9, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are down 14.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Juniper Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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