Ahead of the Bell: Juniper Networks rises

Shares of networking equipment maker Juniper Networks are rising in premarket trading, after a Piper Jaffray analyst upgraded the stock because of Juniper's upcoming slate of products.

Troy Jensen said Juniper Networks Inc. will meet Wall Street expectations in the second quarter, the first quarter where the company will gain revenue from its EX-series products. He raised his rating to "Buy" from "Neutral," and placed the stock on his recommended Alpha list.

The second quarter will also be the first full quarter of revenue from Juniper's MX series, he said. He also expects strong sales of Juniper's T1600 core router.

Shares of the Sunnyvale, Calif., company gained 55 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $23.30 in premarket electronic trading. The stock finished at $22.75 Thursday, the last trading day before the Independence Day holiday.

Jensen has a price target of $27 per share.

Juniper is scheduled to report its second-quarter results after the market closes on July 24. On average, analysts expect a profit of 27 cents per share on $852.3 million in revenue.