Juniper Networks
The company reported $786 million in revenue and non-GAAP earnings of $0.19 per share. Both figures present gains from the previous quarter and reasonable declines from the 2008 period. The numbers only tell half the tale, though: There's something special brewing in those Juniper bushes.
IBM
And the good news doesn't stop there: The NYSE Euronext
The IBM and NYSE deals each improve Juniper's selling position in different ways. IBM simply expanded Juniper's sales channel but without any branding benefits. The NYSE contract is a visibility stunt that could improve Juniper's brand recognition a good deal if the company can pull it off.
Johnson says that Juniper has plenty of customer projects on the table, but that nobody knows exactly when those clients will place their orders. Hence, market visibility is low, and Johnson kept guidance on the careful side. But with "more users consuming more bandwidth on the internet, those trends continue. And every customer is in a different situation and this is sort of just the flow of orders that we saw this quarter."
All of this adds up to a couple of unique positives for Juniper -- but none that made a difference to the just-reported second quarter. Ergo, I still believe that Cisco will come out roaring next week. Watch this space.
Further Foolishness:
- Why Cisco Expects a Big, Bright Future
- The Greatest Company in the History of the World
- Stock Picker's Secret Revealed
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