Royal Bank Of Canada Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) Stock

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $139.00 to $159.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the asset manager’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price suggests a potential upside of 6.26% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Truist Financial set a $148.00 target price on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Northern Trust in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Northern Trust has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.77.

Northern Trust Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NTRS stock traded down $3.48 on Friday, hitting $149.64. The company had a trading volume of 200,514 shares, compared to its average volume of 957,653. Northern Trust has a twelve month low of $81.62 and a twelve month high of $157.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $28.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $137.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $131.69.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.05. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 14.37% and a net margin of 11.99%.The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Northern Trust will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Northern Trust news, insider John Landers sold 766 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.35, for a total value of $95,252.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $909,371.55. This trade represents a 9.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Susan Cohen Levy sold 27,591 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $128.13, for a total value of $3,535,234.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 48,257 shares in the company, valued at $6,183,169.41. This represents a 36.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in Northern Trust by 13.3% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 20,112 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,984,000 after acquiring an additional 2,363 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Northern Trust by 39.1% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 16,557 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,633,000 after buying an additional 4,653 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Northern Trust by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,814 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $2,346,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 102.4% during the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 4,579 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $581,000 after acquiring an additional 2,317 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of Northern Trust by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,133 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $1,412,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Northern Trust

Here are the key news stories impacting Northern Trust this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat consensus, with year-over-year revenue/AUC/AUM growth and an EPS surprise that topped estimates—this is the headline catalyst supporting the rally. NTRS Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call highlighted record NII and management raised targets — stronger interest income is driving higher margins and gives better forward-looking revenue visibility. Northern Trust Earnings Call: Record NII, Higher Targets
• Positive Sentiment: Trust and servicing fees rose, and market-strength (AUM/AUC growth) continued to pad fee income — diversifies revenue beyond NII and supports recurring revenue. Northern Trust beats Q4 expectations as trust fees rise
• Positive Sentiment: Board announced a quarterly dividend of $0.80 (ex-dividend March 6), which supports income-oriented investors. Northern Trust Reports Fourth Quarter 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and slide deck are available for deeper review — useful for investors who want detail on NII drivers, client flows and margin assumptions. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Some of the quarter’s upside was aided by favorable market performance (higher AUM), which could be cyclical — monitor market risk exposure in coming quarters. Strong stock markets continue to pad earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Operating expenses remain elevated and continue to pressure margins despite revenue gains — this is the main downside risk for sustained EPS expansion. Q4 Earnings Beat Despite High Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts flag that the stock’s valuation looks elevated after the rally — investors should weigh growth vs. current multiple. Valuation Is Too Elevated

About Northern Trust

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ: NTRS) is a global financial services firm headquartered in Chicago that provides asset servicing, asset management and wealth management solutions to institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals. The company’s core businesses include custody and fund administration, investment operations outsourcing, trust and fiduciary services, private banking, and retirement and defined contribution plan services.

Northern Trust’s product and service offerings span custody and fund accounting, portfolio and performance analytics, securities lending, cash management and foreign exchange, as well as discretionary and non-discretionary investment management.