Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $180.6786.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NTRS shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $162.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Northern Trust from $170.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Evercore set a $179.00 price target on Northern Trust in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $186.00 target price on Northern Trust in a research report on Friday, June 26th.

Northern Trust Stock Performance

Shares of NTRS stock opened at $186.63 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $34.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.24. Northern Trust has a 12-month low of $121.12 and a 12-month high of $195.78. The business’s 50 day moving average is $183.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $165.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The asset manager reported $4.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.71 by $1.52. The business had revenue of $2.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 16.91% and a net margin of 14.76%.The business’s revenue was up 35.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.13 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Northern Trust will post 11.59 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Northern Trust Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.88 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $3.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Northern Trust’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.80. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.47%.

Insider Activity at Northern Trust

In related news, EVP Thomas South sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.90, for a total transaction of $332,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 92,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,180,353.30. This represents a 1.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Robert Moritz, Jr. bought 255 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were bought at an average price of $179.57 per share, for a total transaction of $45,790.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 8,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,508,388. This trade represents a 3.13% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Northern Trust

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of NTRS. Reflection Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Northern Trust in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Northern Trust during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Continuum Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Northern Trust in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Northern Trust by 99.0% in the first quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 203 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBH Bank bought a new stake in shares of Northern Trust in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 83.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Northern Trust Company Profile

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.