Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Northern Trust Corporation (NASDAQ:NTRS) has been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $148.75.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NTRS. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Northern Trust from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Northern Trust in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Northern Trust from $142.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised Northern Trust from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd.

Northern Trust Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:NTRS opened at $147.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $144.47 and its 200-day moving average is $134.50. The company has a market cap of $27.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.27. Northern Trust has a 52-week low of $81.62 and a 52-week high of $157.60.

Northern Trust (NASDAQ:NTRS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 30th. The asset manager reported $2.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.37 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter. Northern Trust had a return on equity of 14.87% and a net margin of 12.15%.Northern Trust’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Northern Trust will post 8.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Northern Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.80 per share. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Northern Trust’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northern Trust

In other news, insider Clive Bellows sold 1,148 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.26, for a total transaction of $166,758.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 34,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,958,159.58. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Peter Cherecwich sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $149.62, for a total transaction of $3,740,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 26,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,928,871.58. The trade was a 48.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 27,191 shares of company stock valued at $4,061,028 in the last quarter. 0.77% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Northern Trust

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 4.9% during the third quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,659 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $223,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its holdings in Northern Trust by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 682 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Northern Trust by 0.3% in the second quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 29,132 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $3,694,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. grew its stake in Northern Trust by 5.1% during the third quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,666 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $224,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Northern Trust by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,379 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $598,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.19% of the company’s stock.

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.